Villagers of Nabavatu in Dreketi, Macuata have been advised they need to vacate their homes.

Senior Scientific Officer at the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources Geological Survey Division Semi Bolalailai says from the technical point of view, the village is unsafe for dwelling.

Bolalailai says the cracks have damaged houses and caused walls and floors to collapse and this show how harmful it can be to the villagers.

He says the appearance of the tension cracks is an indication of the amount of water that is in the ground.

“Once the water quantity in the soil exceeds its limits, it bursts and that is how we noticed these bursts. These tension cracks, are visible from the top. You can see a series of fractures in the same orientation from the top of the slope right down to the road.”

Bolalailai says the cracks keep getting bigger.

“We put markers from the first day and these markers have widened. This tells us that there is still excess water beneath the surface of the soil”.

The villagers first noticed the cracks early Sunday morning, 31st of January.

The longest crack starts from the home of the village padre, across the ground and into the church.

Inside the Church, the crack is visible from one wall, across the floor and onto the other wall.

It then runs downhill, across the village footpath and under several homes causing damage and further weakening the structure.

At least 47 homes are affected.