The Asian Development Bank will provide a $2 million grant to prepare the Nadi Flood Alleviation Project.

The ADB technical assistance has been confirmed during the ADB meeting in Nadi this week.

Regional Director ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office in Fiji, Masayuki Tachiiri says ADB is pleased to partner with the Fijian Government to help protect Nadi from increasingly regular flood events.

Tachiiri says the partnership recognizes the economic importance of Nadi as a vital hub for logistics and tourism for Fiji, and the wider Pacific sub-region.

He says the ADB assistance will identify an economically optimal flood alleviation investment that reduces economic and social losses and loss of life from floods in the Nadi area.

Tachiiri adds it will consider future scenarios of population growth, changes in land-use, and climate change.

Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Economy Makereta Konrote says Fiji has experienced more than one flood annually for the last 40 years with particularly devastating floods in 2004, 2009, 2012, and two events in 2014.

Konrote says urgent action is needed now on adaptation and building resilience, and they are pleased to partner with ADB to advance project development.

Meanwhile, the January 2009 flood, which devastated large areas of Fiji, claimed 11 lives, left 12,000 people homeless and caused $113 million of damage with the Nadi area being the worst hit, with total damage estimated at $81.2 million.