Environment Minister Lynda Tabuya has urged faster action on climate-driven relocations after finding families in the Northern Division still living in tents and crowded makeshift shelters up to five years after their homes were destroyed. Her remarks follow recent visits to Nabavatu in Macuata and Cogea in Bua, where displaced villagers described prolonged hardship and uncertainty.
“Imagine your house being swept away and having to live in someone else’s home, crowded together with three or four families under one roof, or even living in tents for years,” Tabuya said after spending time with affected households. She told reporters some families had endured such conditions for about five years while waiting for permanent housing solutions.
Tabuya said the government was committed to completing the Nabavatu relocation project by October, using funds from the Climate Relocation of Communities Trust Fund. She acknowledged that relocations take time but stressed that communities facing ongoing climate impacts “could not afford further delays,” adding that authorities would continue to prioritise relocation projects based on need.
In Cogea, Tabuya highlighted a different response: villagers themselves—led largely by local youth—have been rebuilding. Young people from affected communities have spent years constructing houses and are now working on three more homes, with many more still required to rehousel displaced families. “A home means security. When people have a roof over their heads, everything else becomes easier,” she said.
Tabuya also warned that worsening weather patterns were testing infrastructure nationwide, from homes to roads, schools and health facilities. Her comments underline the broader challenge facing Fiji as it implements climate adaptation and relocation measures amid increasingly frequent and severe weather events.
The minister’s visits and the October target for Nabavatu provide the latest benchmark in Fiji’s ongoing effort to respond to climate-related displacement. While community-led rebuilding in places like Cogea demonstrates local resilience, Tabuya’s observations underscore continuing gaps in permanent housing for some of the Northern Division’s most vulnerable households.