Desilting works set for flooding mitigation phase
The Ministry of Waterways is planning to start desilting works on small waterways, creeks and rivers identified for phase one of flood mitigation. Minister for Waterways Mahendra Reddy said in Parliament that 150 waterways have been identified and works will begin in the Central Division on April 2.
Often times, he said, small waterways are forgotten, but they also threaten infrastructure, livestock, crops and settlements during heavy rain.
“In the first phase, we are going to desilt 25 creeks in the Central, Northern and Western Divisions.
In the Central Division there are three creeks that we need to desilt, nine in the Western Division and 13 in the Northern Division. The total number of kilometres that we will be desilting is 56 kilometres,” Mr Reddy said.
“Desilting 56 kilometres is a lot of work. What we have done, 56 kilometre would mean close to $120 million to $150 million. But what we have done is, we work smartly, we are working with the private sector, where we pick up part of the cost of working with the mataqali, the landowners and getting their fishing rights waived by the Ministry of Lands. We have picked up the cost of undertaking the Environmental Management Plan, so the Ministry is picking that up.”
For each creek and river, the ministry’s does the Environmental Management Plan to keep the flora and fauna intact and ensure that the river banks are not destabilised.
“The private sector pays the royalty to the Ministry of Lands and then picks up the material sales and the private sector then gains from that,” Mr Reddy said.
“Out of the 25 creeks that we are doing in phase one, that we have got the entire paperwork ready and we are going to start from next week Friday. Nine in the Western Division – Solovi, Saru, Navolau, Narewa, Nakorotubu, Nadele, Draunivi and Malakua. That is 16.9 kilometres.
“The three
Desilting 56 kilometres is a lot of work. What we have done, 56 kilometre would mean close to $120 million to $150 million. Mahendra Reddy Minister for Agriculture and Waterways
in the
Central
Division
– Wainibuabua, Wainadoi and Nabukavesi. This is a total of 17 kilometres.
“The 13 in the Northern Division - Tacilevu, Nabia, Navidamu, Vatudova, Wavuwavu, Vuniyalayala, Vunivutu, Nasealevu, Nakelikoso, Korotari, Dogoru, Nakama, Nubu, so a total of 21.5 kilometres.”