The tikina Nasigatoka, which includes 7 villages and settlements in Nadroga-Navosa, has unanimously agreed to oppose any future dredging of the Sigatoka River due to the harmful impact that past dredging activities have had on the river’s ecosystem.
A representative from the Tikina raised these concerns during a Government Public Consultation held at the Sigatoka Village Community Hall earlier this month, where local landowners voiced their concerns and explored potential solutions with government stakeholders.
The landowners shared their frustrations about the dredging project, which took place over two years.
Although the dredging was initially intended to address flood mitigation, the long-term effects on the river’s natural flow and its surrounding environment were not adequately considered.
The community believes that the intervention, which was supposed to help protect them from flooding, has instead caused irreversible damage to both the river’s ecosystem and their livelihoods, particularly their fishing practices.
In addition to opposing further dredging, the landowners and villagers are calling for collaboration with government experts, environmental scientists, and NGOs to develop alternative flood control measures.
They also raised their support to no deep sea mining held in the Pacific Islands.
