Throwing rubbish in the sea is like treating coastal villages as rubbish dumps, harming livelihoods, polluting ecosystems, and endangering future generations.
This is the reality shared by the leader of the clan (mataqali) Turaga na Rokobaleni, Samuela Toge of Muaivusu Village on the outskirts of Lami, who highlighted his community’s struggles.
He says for years, Muaivusu has faced daily rubbish washing ashore, with spilled oil damaging mangroves and soil erosion threatening the village’s existence.
While speaking to fijivillage News, Toge says it is not just about the environment, but also their health, hygiene, and the reality of climate change, warning that if nothing is done, they could lose their village.
He says neighbouring villages including Nabaka, Waiqanake and Namakala face similar issues, and despite raising concerns with the government and NGOs, their pleas have been ignored.
Toge also says this is the wave effect of pollution, polluting shores all over Fiji will affect marine life and every coastal village in the country.
As a former village headman, Toge is calling on citizens to stop dumping rubbish and urged Fiji’s leaders to address local issues before speaking on global platforms about climate change and illegal dumping.
Toge has also appealed to the Coalition Government to build seawalls to protect villages like Muaivusu from sea encroachment.
fijivillage News has sent questions to the Permanent Secretary of Enviroment, but they are yet to respond.
