Minister for Agriculture Dr. Mahendra Reddy says the government spent $2.8 million on drainage works from Suva along the Queens Highway up to Nadi last year.
This was in response to SODELPA MP Mikaele Leawere’s question where he had asked if the government had plans to rectify the poor drainage along the Queens Highway and other parts of Fiji which leads to continuous flooding.
Reddy says Leawere is from Navua and he asks about drainage works in his area.
He says the Sigatoka River dredging works cost $3.3 million and for works in rural residential areas and settlements the government spent $2.8 million last year.
He says the government carried out drainage works worth $1.1 million in the Western Division, $500,000 in the Northern Division and $1.1 million in the Central Division.
SODELPA MP Niko Nawaikula had asked about the irrigation floodgates in Navua and said that for so many years the floodgates don’t close during flood.
He asked when the floodgates will be fixed.
Reddy says there was work done on the Navua irrigation and that there are people who play around with floodgates because they want to swim and fish upstream.
He says another reason is that debris from upstream damages the floodgates. He says they have had contractors to go and get the floodgates working again.
