Villagers of Suweni in Cakaudrove can now breathe a sigh of relief thanks to a completed river diversion project carried out by the Office of the Commissioner Northern in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture.
The river which previously flowed at a distance from the village site broke its banks during the heavy floods experienced in 2010 and another river was formed closer to the village. Flooding experienced in the years thereafter meant that homes and plantations were being affected.
Senior Engineer for Land and Water Resources Management (LWRM) Division based in the Northern Division, Joseva Sautu said the project to assist the villagers in diverting the current track of the river to its original track began in November last year with funding provided by the Commissioner Northern’s Office.
He said the original river track was re-excavated to divert the river from its current course to the original course. A combination of groyne, boulder protection and gabion box was used to protect the village banks from further erosion.
Senior Engineer Central LWRM Frank Alhambra who was formerly based in the North said that after the 2009 flash floods, $47,000 was provided by the Commissioner Northern’s Office to divert the river away from the village.
“So we requested additional funds to construct the proper gabion protection and around $407,000 was given for construction.”
“Gabion walls are filled with spalls and boulder protection in front of the wall as a tool for protection of the gabion and the upper part of the diversion channel being reinforced with a groyne structure,” said Mr Alhambra.
Village elder Mr Jovilisi Bolamasei from Suweni said that they appreciate what the government has done and without their help, the village would have been destroyed by floods.
Assistance on this same issue was provided to villagers in the districts of Vaturova as well as Vatukaca village but on a smaller scale.
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