As legal challenges and issues continue to be raised regarding the construction of buildings like Great Han on the Tamavua Ridge along Princes Road in Suva, Engineers Fiji has provided technical opinion on the adequacy of the geotechnical investigation for the Tamavua development, noting that the original Construction Environmental Management Plan and Operational Environmental Management Plan lacked pertinent information pertaining to the proposed, extended development, failing to cover areas such as, a Traffic Impact Assessment, a Geotechnical Investigation and Interpretive Report, Sewerage and the treatment of solid waste and a Structural Design Report for the additional floors and buildings.
While providing the analysis to Tamavua Action Group, Engineers Fiji says the geotechnical investigation was limited to 4 No. boreholes approximately 30 metres depth.
They say the findings presented insufficient information and data in an area where published geological
literature identifies deep seated fault lines, fractures and discontinuities within the underlying
bedrock.
Engineers Fiji says there was no indication where the four 30 metres deep bores were conducted nor were borehole profiles of the underlying subsoils provided.
Engineers Fiji provided this as Tamavua Action Group requested clarification on the soundness of the geotechnical assessment that was carried out by the Mineral Resources Department and presented to the Environmental Tribunal in the case between the Ministry of Environment and Great Han International.
Engineers Fiji state that their comments are strictly from a technical and professional standpoint.
They say in the Environmental Tribunal’s ruling on the stop work order issued to Great Han, it appears that the decision to continue with the original Great Han development is based on Mineral Resources Department's statement/opinion that construction work on Buildings 1 and 2 could continue due to the site’s stability’.
The experts add that this statement was made based on the findings of the geotechnical assessment that was carried out by MRD in October 2016.
Based on the information which has been presented to Engineers Fiji, including material discussed during the Technical Review Committee meeting that was convened on Friday 10th November, 2023, it is Engineers Fiji's considered view that the geotechnical investigation undertaken and subsequently relied upon by MRD is not technically adequate for the scale, configuration and geological context of the proposed development proposal by Great Han.
The available data set does not, in Engineers Fiji's opinion, provide a sufficiently robust basis to discount the geological hazards which are known to exist in the Tamavua area, nor does it support confident design assumptions for multi-storey residential buildings.
Accordingly, Engineers Fiji considers that continued reliance on the limited geotechnical investigation
carried out by MRD, without a more comprehensive subsurface investigation being undertaken, does not
provide sufficient information for a technically competent and experienced geotechnical engineer to
make an informed opinion on the performance of the natural ground with the construction of additional
buildings along the Tamavua ridgeline.
Engineers Fiji recommends that MRD provide the data that it has used to inform itself that the site is stable.
They say it would be prudent that the author of the statement provide his/her qualifications and experience to demonstrate that they are sufficiently experienced and qualified to make a determination that the natural ground is safe and free of defects to enable the original development to take place.
We have sought a response from the Minister for Lands, Filimoni Vosarogo.
We will also seek comments from the Ministry of Environment on the proper Environmental Impact Assessment for proposed projects and why some have not gone through that consultation process and assessment.
