People of Namoli village will now have peace of mind after the commissioning of their new seawall today, which is built to maximum protection from coastal erosion.
While officiating at the Commissioning of the Coastal Protection Works at Namoli Village in Lautoka, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says the stone-masonry seawall structure includes a pitching drain with a culvert to protect the village.
He says this is an ambitious project that came in at a government investment of more than $700,000 but the peace of mind that it will provide is priceless.
Bainimarama says the new seawall stretches across 440 metres of shoreline.
He says the newly-completed seawall is a great example of human engineering and that alone is not enough, which is why this project will be complemented with what they call a “nature-based solution”.
Bainimarama says the “nature-based solution” is the planting of mangroves that will provide a first line of defence from coastal erosion and sea level rise.
He says by tapping into nature, the future of Namoli will be more environmentally-friendly and more secure.
Bainimarama says information collected by satellites shows that, since 1993, sea levels in Fiji have risen by about six millimetres per year which is about double the global average.
He says government is committed to protecting Fijians from rising sea levels, all along the country’s more-than-1,100 kilometres of shoreline.
