Villagers of Vutia in Rewa have commended government for the timely intervention in addressing issues relating to the impact of dredging works.
The intervention follows a visit led by the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Pio Tikoduadua to the village of Laucala and Muana –i-ra yesterday.
PS Tikoduadua said that the purpose of the visit was to address issues of concern raised by the people of Vutia in damages sustained to their plantation following the dumping of sand and silt near their villages.
‘‘Government is concerned with the impact of dredging in the Rewa delta after receiving complaints from the villagers in Vutia,” Tikoduadua said.
“We have also noted and identified appropriate sites for the relocation of sand and have consulted with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Land and Water Resource Division for the possible construction of flood gates to control the flow of water to and from the villages.
Commending the intervention by the Prime Minister’s office, Chairman of the Muana-i-ra development committee, Iliesa Waibuta said the visit by the PSPMO and his team indicated the concern that they had for the people of Vutia and Fijians in general.
“I am pleased that a government delegation has visited us and heard our pleas of assistance,” Waibuta said.
“While we appreciate the dredging works initiated by government two years ago, we also raised some issues of concern in the dumping of sand on our plantations. However we are happy that the officials have come to see for themselves the damages caused to our plantations.”
Commissioner Eastern, Laisenia Tuitubou said that a team which will be chaired by the deputy secretary in the Prime Minister’s office has been tasked to formulate an action plan to mitigate the impact of dredging works.
“The team has also been tasked to re-look at the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report and the situation in this area prior and post to dredging works,” Tuitubou said.
Dredging works were carried out by the China Railway First Group to improve the flow of water in the river systems and minimise flooding in the Rewa delta in 2010.
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