The village of Tukuraki in Yakete, Ba which has been badly hit during natural disasters will be relocated soon.
Tukuruki village which is based precariously under a steep mountain which means its risk of being hit by natural disasters is a reality for its community.
In January 2012, a landslide plunged through the community killing a family of four and burying more than 50% of the village area after a week of heavy rain in the western division triggered the slip.
The landslide also wiped out the village access road, fresh water resources, and homes.
Tukuraki village was then struck by disaster again within 12 months as Cyclone Evan, a Category 4 Tropical Cyclone, hit the community in December 2012.
This cyclone destroyed what remained and what had been salvaged from the landslide, again destroying crops and damaging repaired infrastructure.
At the time of the landslide, the community shifted to a temporary village site and the Fijian Government, through the Commissioner Western’s Office, decided the whole village would need to be relocated permanently due to its vulnerability to landslides and other natural hazards.
In February 2014, a new site was selected after a geo‑technical assessment completed by the Mineral Resources Department.
However, another disaster struck the community as Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Winston devastated Fiji earlier this year, leaving unprecedented damage in its wake.
The Tukuraki community was again impacted badly as the village was still struggling to recover from the previous disasters.
Without safe dwellings, Tukuraki residents were forced to take refuge in nearby caves during the cyclone.
Based on this, the Fijian Government is committed to relocating the villagers and today the ground‑breaking of the new village site begins.
The work is being led by the National Disaster Management Office and has been made possible through the European Union Funded Building Safety and Resilience in the Pacific Project, implemented by the Pacific Community.
The total cost of the project is $600,000.
NDMO Director Akapusi Tuifagalele says the government is grateful to the EU and SPC for its financial assistance in funding the relocation of the Tukuraki community.
The government initially had budgetary allocation in the 2016 budget to finance the relocation, however due to the devastation of Cyclone Winston the fund was re‑diverted to finance relief efforts.
The Tukuraki community is expected to move into their new homes by the end of the year.
We will have more later today.
