The long wait for a bridge for the people of Waibasaga Village in the interior of Naitasiri may finally be nearing an end after Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka made a short visit that brought hope to a community which has spent decades pleading for a crossing over the Wainimala River.
Villagers have struggled for decades during floods, with the rising river cutting off access to schools, health care, and markets.
Their pleas to previous governments had gone unanswered until now.
While visiting the village, Rabuka says his aim was to see firsthand the daily struggles of villagers, including school children who are forced to wade across the Wainimala River to access essential services.
He says many people had been voicing the concerns of the villagers, and he wanted to visit them in person to hear their plight.
He added that too often, leaders sit in comfortable offices and don’t realise how serious the problems are on the ground.
The Prime Minister says after listening directly to the villagers during a talanoa session, the government would provide a boat in the short term while working towards a permanent and sustainable solution.
Yesterday, the villagers were further reassured that help is on the way after the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Ines Global Consultancy arrived on-site to conduct a Resilient Rural Infrastructure Diagnostic in partnership with the Fiji Roads Authority, signalling a promising step forward.
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