NEWS

Community leaders from Daku Village of the Rewa Delta area, today formally committed their community’s participation in a climate change adaptation activity, delivered through USAID’s Coastal Community Adaptation Project (USAID/C-CAP).

As part of the agreement, Daku will receive infrastructure support for their drainage management system which will greatly reduce flooding, associated water-borne diseases and property damage caused by the rising waters.

”With the completion of the drainage management system, we will be able to control sea water intrusion into the village. This will reduce pollution and will allow some of the villagers to move back after having left due to flooding of their homes,” said the Turaga Ni Koro for Daku Village, Biu Naitasi.

USAID will also be signing a similar agreement with the Buretu Village community in the Rewa Delta tomorrow, which will see the community receive assistance to improve riverbank protection infrastructure protecting homes and public buildings from serious erosion provoked by increased flows in the river.

Currently, Buretu and Daku experience a number of climate change impacts, including soil erosion to foreshore areas, regular flooding, and saltwater intrusion.

Flooding events are of particular concern as they can commonly cause septic tanks to overflow, contaminating the groundwater, and infiltrating fresh water reserves leaving the communities vulnerable to bacterial disease outbreaks of diarrhea, and at worst, cholera and typhoid.

Standing water can become a breeding-ground for mosquitoes, increasing the risk of dengue fever and filariasis outbreaks; while waterlogged soil can damage or kill crops. Both communities report that their main crops — taro, cassava and coconut —are suffering from saltwater intrusion, impacting on their local livelihoods and food security.

USAID/C-CAP has worked closely with the iTaukei Affairs Board to identify communities for project support.

The Roko Tui’s from each community’s respective Provincial Council was invited to participate in USAID/C-CAP training sessions and in the development of climate adaptation measures.

These strategies to enhance community resilience can then be replicated in other communities by Provincial Council staff throughout the provinces.

Over the past several months, the communities in Daku and Buretu worked with USAID/C-CAP to identify their top priority infrastructure needs for climate change adaptation.

U.S. Embassy Regional Environmental Officer Jason Brenden said, “USAID’s assistance will significantly reduce the vulnerability of the people of Buretu and Daku to the effects of climate change, which without intervention, would only worsen as sea levels rise and extreme rainfall events become more pronounced.”