A building grant for heritage schools has seen $0.4 million set aside for Delana Secondary School and Marist Convent School in the UNESCO-listed town of Levuka on Ovalau Island.
Under the 2016-2017 National Budget, $0.6 million has also been allocated for the upgrade of the Levuka World Heritage Site, where buildings suffered extensive damage in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Winston in February.
The Fiji Government’s Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Mitigation program was allocated $2 million. Since its inception, the program has assisted in the relocation of Vunidogoloa village in Macuata and 19 houses on Yadua Island, Bua.
The program was launched in 2014 to help vulnerable communities adapt to natural disaster and climate change impacts and has been supported by the European Union-funded Building Safety and Resilience in the Pacific Program.
The national budget supplement confirmed that the EU was also supportive of efforts to relocate Waciwaci District School in Lakeba, Lau and Narikoso village in Kadavu.
In support of early warning systems, a new weather office will be constructed in Labasa at a cost of $1.3 million, and will effectively expand the Fiji Meteorological Services to Fiji’s Northern division.