Floods in Labasa, Nadi, Ba regions

from w
While we were enjoying the sunshine with the athletes from Fiji, it was really a large tropical depression in Fiji hitting Vanua Levu with much rain. Our family said that bridges were cut and cars couldn't get through yesterday. Here's one report from the FBC radio:

Residents claim biggest flood ever in Bulileka

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Taken from / By: Faiyaz Khan

Residents in Bulileka Labasa are claiming that the heavy rain in the north has caused the biggest flood ever in their area since three years ago. Torrential rain has been hitting the north since this morning and as Anen Prasad explains, floodwaters have spread across Bulileka and nearby areas. "There's a big flood here in Bulileka. For the last three years, this has to be the largest flood. From Boca Road to Dreketi Lailai, Boubale and Soasoa are all under water and all motorists are stuck. It's a really big flood."

Residents have also been without electricity since early this afternoon.

"Right now where I am sitting I can see the whole of Bulileka, Batinikama there's no power at all in this area. It's all been without power from 4.30pm today."

Pacific Sun was forced to cancel some of its flights to and from the North due to adverse weather conditions experienced there.

Airline spokesman Shane Hussein says some flights to Savusavu, Taveuni and Labasa were cancelled and affected passengers will be accommodated on subsequently scheduled flights to these destinations once weather permits.

One evacuation center has been activated in Labasa as heavy torrential rain and strong winds continue to batter the northern town causing floodwaters to displace a number of residents.

Although no official word has been received from the Disaster Management office, FBC News understands that Daku Bhartiya School is now home to close to 60 people.

We have also received information that Bulileka Secondary School is on standby should residents in surrounding low lying areas need temporary shelter.

But many are hoping conditions will clear up.

FBC Labasa correspondent Mahesh Chand files this report:

"It started raining yesterday and it became heavy and in the afternoon and the wind started blowing and it was very strong. This morning it was raining again and has been like this the whole day and it is still raining now and we experiencing strong winds at the moment. I haven't been out of town but according to my friends there is flood at Suasua Road leading up to Naqiqi side and the the Bulileka near the Army barracks, it is flooded at the moment. Looking at Labasa town there is nothing so far but if it rains heavily whole night, we will probably have floods in Labasa town."

Meanwhile the heavy rain, flooding and landslides have resulted in road closures in the northern division.

The latest update from the Ministry of Works and Transport say that the Vunivesi/Nukubolu road in Savusavu is totally washed away and closed to all traffic, North Coastal Road in Taveuni was hit by a tidal wave however it has been cleared and open to all traffic and the road from Wairiki to Balili was hit by big waves and is closed to all traffic.

In Wainikoro - the road from Mandir Temple to Soasoa flat is under water and close to all traffic.

Urata and Baubale crossing, Dreketilailai crossing and Boca Bridge, Wainidrua in Nakelikoso, Vatunibale junction in Bulileka are all under water and closed to all traffic.

The Siberia low section towards Emily, the Wairiki crossing, Nakama crossing in Naduna, Taganiwaqa crossing in Delaikoro, the Bucalevu crossing, Nakorotari, Waidamudamu, Wailevu Tiri rd and Qaloyaga are all under water and closed to traffic.

A major landslide at the Vesidrua section in Nabouwalu has closed off half the road and the same has happened at the Transinsular Road due to a slip at the Saivou hill.

A landslide has also closed off the Batiri section of the Nabouwalu Road.

The low level crossing at Wailevu West Coast in Savusavu is under water and closed to all traffic and so is the Savudrodro Road.

It is also understood that the new government boat the MV Rogovoka, is stranded in Lomaloma, Vanuabalavu in Lau. The vessel was due to unload cargo in Lakeba today but had to return to Lomaloma because of rough seas and heavy rains.

Report by : Apisalome Coka; Ritika Pratap; Roland Koroi; Indra Singh
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a few days later:
the western side of Viti Levu really had severe storm and flood damage - even Tavua, Rakiraki, Ba, Lautoka and Nadi. Once again the onslaught of nature intrudes into the lives of people - often damaging property, frightening people, causing electricity and weater failure and later some associated sickness. Isa, Fiji. Photos are from Ba and Nadi areas.

It's not unusual to have floods in Labasa

from w,
Once again there are floods after heavy rain in many parts of Fiji including Labasa. The town area, as we all know, has been built on a swamp area, very low-lying and many villages and farm settlements are alongside rivers. Schools closed from many on Friday, buses did not run and some bridges closed. It's not unusual to have such floods in Labasa. However enterprising people know this and have special shelves built into their ceilings to put their precious belongings if their houses become flooded. One photo here is a resident at Naodamu, and the other is of the road to Malua.
from today's Fiji Times
Quick action saves belongings

Serafina Silaitoga
Saturday, February 19, 2011
WITH no time to waste, Labasa residents in flood-prone areas took their household goods and belongings to higher ground ù bracing for the flashfloods that hit Babasiga yesterday. At Naodamu, a known flood-prone area, water levels rose quickly covering parts of the concrete stairs outside the Public Rental Board flats.

When The Fiji Times visited the area, resident Manoa Tora was busy tying their settee to the ceiling to avoid getting wet from floodwaters. Inside their room, bags of clothes and mattresses were tucked onto shelves built near the ceiling. Mr Tora said they were always affected by floodwaters over the past four years. "It's not an easy thing to go through especially when we have children and to have all our things in the house like fridge, settee, beddings and especially clothes go underwater," he said. "After experiencing the first flood in 2007, which was really bad, I decided to build a shelf just under the ceiling and we have used that over the past years to keep our household goods away from flood."

Other residents stood outside their houses, staring helplessly at the floodwaters rising steadily to their doorsteps.

Another resident, Kelemete Koroimudu said they had packed their household items away safely and prayed the floodwaters would not enter their homes.

Mayor of Labasa writes about floods and rivers

from w
Peceli is still in Labasa and despite the continuing rain, is getting on with his tasks of meeting people, drinking kava (!) going to parties, etc. but there are numerous disruptions because of the very bad state of the roads, etc.

The Mayor of Labasa has a good letter in today's Fiji Times because the people of babasiga land are sick and tired of the continuing nuisance of floods - the disruption, the pollution, the danger to health, the financial burdens, time after time.

Flooded towns
THE flooding of some parts of Labasa town is not surprising. Flooding is imminent in all of Fiji's estuary towns. Damage from flooding will be greater in the future as towns become more populated. Some people have made calls for the dredging of the Labasa river and other rivers in Fiji. I have, in the past, stated that dredging is not a permanent solution to flooding. It is only a temporary measure.

A better, long-term solution to the problem lies in the sustainable management of forests and the entire watershed. Sustainable farming practices need to be encouraged and practised to control the silt going into streams and rivers. Indiscriminate logging practices must stop. Once that is taken care of, flooding of towns can be minimised.

Additionally, with more people living in towns and increase in urban activity, drains become overburdened. Rubbish, commonly plastic bags and bottles, clog drains and contribute to flooding of urban centres.

However, I believe there is an enormous amount of silt clogging the Labasa river from previous floods. This needs to be cleared so the river can start breathing properly.

It will give some relief and assurance to Labasa residents. But certainly, dredging cannot be done every time, otherwise the real cause of flooding (unsustainable watershed management and indiscriminate logging) will be left unchecked.

The permanent solution to flooding is relocation. Many towns in Fiji were built by the river and delta area which, today, are causing millions of dollars of loss and damage. Estuary towns of Fiji including Labasa, need to be relocated to a higher and safer location to avoid the problem of flooding. This is long-term planning which municipal authorities should seriously consider and start doing it without delay.
The development of small growth centres in safe locations, away from rivers, can be a start to the relocation of towns. For example, Namaka could be the future location for Nadi town.

Tuatua and neighbouring upper Wailevu in Labasa is the ideal choice for Labasa town. Varadoli, Yalalevu or Nailega in Ba could become growth centres and eventually, in five to 10 years, become Ba town.

The woes of flooding will then be a thing of the past. Millions of dollars in losses over the years because of floods will be saved. Property value will improve, investment will increase and benefits will be forthcoming.

Pradeep c. Lal
Labasa

discussion re flood-prone Labasa

from w
I found this article concerning a discussion in Labasa about dredging the river to help prevent flooding. It's from March but it's still relevant.

Dredge alone cannot solve town dilemmaMar 20, 2007, 16:18
Interim Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests Jainend Kumar said that it is not fair to blame the Drainage and Irrigation Division for the cause of flooding in the Northern Division.

In a recent meeting with the Labasa Chamber of Commerce Mr Kumar said that the chambers concern, though genuine, has to be seen with other factors that contributed to the flood. Mr Kumar said that a post mortem of the whole drainage structure will be looked at to determine its impact on the flood.

“Whether it is the Drainage and Irrigation Division or any other institution, nobody can do anything without the necessary resources,” he explains.“This has to do with funds and equipments in use,” added Mr Kumar.

The chamber had raised issues concerning the dredging of the Labasa River from the bridge right up to Nacula settlement as a measure to irrigate the river levels during heavy downpours.

Chamber Chairman Mr Shiv Lal Nagindas says that siltation on the river after the bridge has gone from bad to worse and is causing the river to flood the town whenever there’s a downpour.

Mr Kumar said that whilst this may solve the problem, getting the dredge past the bridge itself is a factor that will have to be considered.“The dredges are so heavy, weighing more than 300 tonnes and to lift it and put it on the other side of the bridge is a mammoth task.”

“What we can do is to work together and look at ways in which we can mitigate the floods and reduce siltation.

Mr Kumar said that one area that needs to be looked at is the proper management of watershed areas. “The way forward is to properly manage our watershed areas and try to arrest the flow of debris and silts on the upper stream. The other possibility is to dam the flood levels and use the water for hydro electricity.” He also said that reticulation of water will also help us in irrigation purpose and aquaculture.

Apart from that he said that landowners can also benefit by venturing into eco agri -tourism in these areas. “So obviously water shed management is probably the best way out of resolving any kind of flooding in the future and will also solve the problems of water shortage.”

Harry Yee from Labasa and a flood story

From w
Browsing through a bundle of old Fiji Times given to us, I found a story about Harry Yee, the oldest man in Labasa. The article was written by Serafina Qalo on February 15th.

Harry lived alone in his house in Naodamu though a housegirl came in the daytime to do his laundry and tidying up. The night of the flood Harry had made his evening meal and was in the kitchen when the water started coming inside his house. The kitchen door got stuck and he couldn't get out. Soon the kitchen was inundated with water up to Harry's chest. Fortunately by 9 p.m. his son had got worried about him and came to check on him and pushed the door in and rescued Harry. The next evening Harry was back to cooking his own evening meal! I guess a man of 101 years has had many adventures during his lifetime!

From Peceli
When I read the story in the Fiji Times about Harry Yee, the man who is now 101 years old I remembered an incident when I was quite young. I was a student from Davuilevu and on holidays in Labasa and Elia and I visited Ari in his shop. He asked us what we were doing and we told him we were theological students. ‘You read the Bible and pray.? Don’t you do any work? You both come and work with me in the shop.’ I told my sister what Ari had said and she laughed about it. Anyway both Elia and I went on to be Methodist ministers.

Response to Labasa floods with a container

from w
The floods were in February but it has taken an involved process to get a container of donated goods from Geelong, Australia, to the schools in Labasa. Hopefully the container sent from Rotary Donation in Kind International will reach Macuata by tomorrow morning. The goods will go mainly to schools where there was severe flood damage such as Holy Family Primary School (coloured picture) and Guru Nanak Primary School,(black and white picture) both in Labasa township area which is low-lying and flood-prone.

Vina'a va'alevu All Saints Secondary School

from w
The Fiji Sun ran a story about the water sampling project at All Saints Secondary School in Labasa. This has been an on-going project for some time now to test the pollution in the Qawa River which has been very bad over the years. At least one thing the three floods did in Macuata this summer was to clean out the rivers!

Awareness project to protect river

From tomorrow students of All Saints Secondary school in Labasa will start their community awareness programme on pollution in the Qawa River.The aim of the students RiverCare Club is to make Qawa River a river and not a dumping ground.
This activity is part of their RiverCare project that has progressed after the last few years from just testing the water of Qawa River to community awareness a stronger partnership with the Fiji Sugar Corporation, and education signs on the river bridge. RiverCare, funded by the Vodafone ATH Foundation Fiji, is a project of Live & Learn Environmental Education carried out with Secondary Schools. The mission of the project is to empower people with the understanding that we can all be involved with caring for our rivers; we want to be able to drink from them, fish from them and pass them onto our children as previous generations have passed them on to us."This will be coordinated by science teacher Amit Maharaj and another three teachers. The students will hand out 200 pamphlets to people in Batinikama settlement upstream and the industrial area home to Fiji Sugar Corporation, Valebasoga Tropik Boards Ltd. and Fiji Electricity Authority.At a later date the students will present to the community their findings from the water monitoring and present.

Pictures from Labasa and Vorovoro

from w
I don't know the rules about copyright but I did find lots of photos about Labasa and Vorovoro Island, mainly from tribewanted visitors. Now that their blogsite won't allow me to peek into their info about current happenings as I'm not a paid up member, there are other ways to sneak a look at their pictures! Flickr!
Here are some of the kids at Mali District School which is in Ligaulevu village, Mali and there's some pics of Tui Mali, the guys from Matailabasa, the floods and so on. Go Babasiga! Despite floods and cyclones!

Help is on its way to Labasa flood victims

from w
Red Cross have been active in handing out emergency supplies to many families stricken in the two or more recent floods in the Labasa area.

Secondly farmers have been given seeds from the Agriculture Department which is absolutely necessary to get the gardens going again, for subsistence and for the market - though seven kilograms doesn't sound very much!

from Fiji Times
Seedlings to boost produce
Saturday, March 17, 2007

Farmers affected by the three floods that hit the Northern Division within one month are asked to take advantage of seedlings being distributed by the Agriculture Ministry. Seven kilograms of assorted vegetable seedlings are being distributed by the Ministry of Agriculture in the Northern Division and farmers are asked to take advantage of this.

This measure, supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community which supplied the seedlings, is targeted at crop farmers affected by the recent floods.
"The estimated production of the distributed seedlings will contribute to an average of 65 metric tonnes generating around $65,000-$70,000 for the farmers," said senior agriculture officer, Macuata, Sugrim Chand.

The seeds include radish, Chinese cabbage, bitter gourd, French bean, long bean, amaranthus, cabbage, hybrid onion, okra, tomato, carrot, cucumber, and watermelon.
The heavy rain and floods early this year caused vast damage and loss to farmers which resulted in a short supply of vegetables, root crops and fruits at the local markets in the division.

Mr Chand had advised farmers to plant short term crops because it would bring about quicker income and farmers should be ready to harvest their crops in a few weeks' time.

He said farmers should be careful while rebuilding their nurseries and to ensure that they have proper drainage system.