[Photo: FILE]

Flooding in Ba town remains unresolved despite millions spent on mitigation works. Residents are calling for stronger action in the upcoming national budget.

Concerns remain among residents and the Ba Town Council. They say the town is still highly vulnerable during heavy rain and extreme weather.

Ba resident and business owner Ranjana Devi has raised frustration over what she calls long-standing neglect.

She says her business, Mahend’s Auto Parts Ba, has been repeatedly damaged by floods. She also claims no minister has visited her site to assess the damage or offer support. Devi further says signatures were collected after correspondence from the Ba Town Council on flooding concerns, but no action followed.

Ba Town Council Special Administrator Moshim Khan says mitigation works have been carried out under wider climate resilience efforts. He says more investment is still needed to strengthen long-term protection.

“The world is aware, that most of the time we are affected by flood, so with the flood mitigation, if any budget on that. I understand that separate programs been taken, right, so the dredging took place, but we would like more on that for flood.”

Khan said major works have already been completed and more than 300,000 cubic metros of silt, sand and gravel were removed from a 3.6-kilometre stretch of waterway extending offshore from the Ba River mouth last year. The project cost $5.5 million.

The government also allocated $25.6 million in last year’s budget for drainage and dredging works in flood-prone areas.

A $35 million Fiji Climate Adaptation Programme was also launched earlier this year to address flooding and climate risks.

Despite these efforts, residents say conditions have not improved enough, they say the town continues to suffer repeated flood disruptions.

Residents and stakeholders are now waiting for the upcoming national budget and are hoping for stronger funding and more effective long-term solutions.