Peceli Naviticoko 
Saltwater intrusion in Wailevu, Labasa is damaging cane crops, while farmers in Koronasau, Tabudola and Tiri face heavy losses and declining production.
Farmer Praveen Lal claims that in the past, their repeated calls for drainage improvements were ignored.
However, ongoing work by the government has reignited their hope for improved yields in the coming season.
“The cane production has gone down. If you check with the FSC, then the production has really gone down about 50% due to this saltwater intrusion, and since it has been taken over by Waterways, it was very poor management.”
Lal adds that if the past waterways administration had maintained the water flow and floodgates, cane production would not be impacted.
Wailevu Advisory Counsellor Deepak Chand has confirmed that some works have progressed in the past weeks at the floodgates and roads with the hope that they will be maintained.
“It has been looked after now since there is a drainage board. And the drainage board has done their work in the past two weeks. They have cleaned the seawall, and they have given an emergency way for us people in cases of flooding. So things are working well in the past two weeks, if I see.”
The Wailevu Tiri community, which includes Tabudola, Solove, and Koronasau, has been engaged in both cane and rice farming for the past 60 years, but production has decreased due to seawater intrusion in the area.
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