The relocation of displaced Nabavatu villagers will have to be done this year says the Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo.

The relocation of displaced Nabavatu villagers will have to be done this year says the Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo.

It’s almost two years now since villagers were forced out of their homes after cracks appeared all over the village following torrential rain during TC Ana in January 2021, making the land on which the village sits unstable.

They have been living in tents since and due to the delay in their relocation, some families have moved back into homes they had once abandoned in the village.

Vosarogo says it’s imperative the villages are relocated real soon.

“There’s a real sense of urgency, Climate Change hits us and hits us fast. They are sitting at the edge of the Dreketi River which is the deepest river in Fiji so the slippage possibility is very real. That is something we need to address. We need to drive the concerns that it’s imperative that we deal with it and we deal with it quickly.”

Vosaroga says it is in the best interest of government that the village is relocated to a place that is safe but also which the people are comfortable with The State Land identified for relocation is within the wider allocation for the Dreketi Town.

Two other alternative sites were identified but the Minister says a lot of mitigation measures will have to be undertaken in order for the land to be suitable for relocation.

However, he says they are working with the various Ministries in finding the best solution that the villagers are comfortable with.