RFMF’s engineers helping farmers get goods to Nadi

October 19, 2012 | Filed under: Fiji News | Posted by: newsroom
By JYOTI PRATIBHA

More than 100 villagers from the interior of Nadi will have easy access to the town once the Republic of Fiji Military Forces engineers finish a roads upgrade.

The village of Korobebe, in the province of Ba, had three of their bridges washed away and roads badly-damaged during the two floods which affected the Western Division earlier this year.

Some 17 engineers, headed by Sergeant Major William Vakasavuwaqa, have been staying at their base between Korobebe and Navilawa villages for the past three months, working long hours to fix and upgrade the 6.1-kilometres of road.

Chief of Staff Land Force Lieutenant-Colonel Sitiveni Qiliho visited the troops yesterday and to check on the progress.

Sergeant Major Vakasavuwaqa said the Government-funded project was almost complete, adding that villagers in the area depended on the road for everydaytravel.

Villager Timoci Nabou said more than 100 villagers would benefit from the restored and upgraded roadwork.

Mr Nabou said they were farmers and for them, getting their produce to the markets on time and in good condition was very important.

“When the bridges were washed away, we had to wait … before we could cross the streams and this was very dificult for us. As farmers, it is very important for us to get our crops to the market in time and also to make sure our produce is in good condition.

“This road is the only one that gives us access to Sabeto and it was in such bad condition before, that travelling was a problem, but we are happy to see that our problem has been noted and taken care of,” he said.

Sergeant Major Vakasavuwaqa said his men would be on site until the work was completed. He said, for his engineers, timely completion of the upgrade was of utmost importance.

The project is part of continuing rural development work by RFMF engineers, sometimes in remote and difficult to access areas.