Climate Change and Relocation: Vunidogoloa and NukudamuNukudamu

Late last year, 2011, I was asked to conduct a field research on the social effects of Climate Change Induced Relocation on the community that was being relocated. The study was conducted in 2 villagers in the Northern Division of Fiji. The villagers were Vunidogoloa, in Cakaudrove, and Nukudamu, in Macuata. Both this villagers have been in the media for the best part of late last year.

Vunidogoloa children attending Sunday School

The village of Vunidogoloa, half an hour from the  town of Savusavu, is nestled on a beautiful beach beside a river that seems to expand with the years. The close proximity to the sea and the threatening river that lies beside the village vulnerable every time their is every rain accompanied by unusual high tide. The combination of the two ensures that the village is always inundated whenever that scenario eventuates.
As for Nukudamu, three to four hours boat ride from Labasa town, things changes when Cyclone Amy paid a courtesy visit. The village has been relocated to a few meters from the original village site. It has not relocated uphill but rather to another relocation along the beach, screened by a thick growth of mangrove.

Nukudamu Village

The two villagers shared a few common characteristics:
1.They both relliant on the sea for income.
2.They are both rural communities where tradition, culture and religion are the primary aspects of daily lives.
3.They share a common understanding that relocation will (or has already, as in the case of Nukudamu) have   an important effect on their lives.

The village of Vunidogoloa, while I was conducting the field work was still in the process of relocation. They were were quite adamant that relocation should happen, in fact they are sure it will happen after the government has informed them that it will be funding the relocation and also taking responsibility in building the houses in the site.

It would not be hard to imagine why they wish to be relocated as soon as possible. Their village is constantly under the mercy of the sea. rising sea level and unusually high tides have gradually eaten away the shoreline and decimated the sea wall to the point where I had to be shown the sea wall because I was finding it hard to relocate where it began and where it ended. Most of it was no longer there and the portion that remained is nothing but a reminder of how a man made structure could do less in the face of natural forces bent on having its own way.

The sea wall

The changes that they have encountered due to climate change has been immense. They reported that their livelihoods has been affected. They no longer enjoy the same yields from fishing that they used to enjoy five years ago. They also state that they root crops are frequently destroyed by the intense heat that dries the soils and destroys evaporates any moisture that might have been in the soil. Also, the plantations that they had near village has been destroyed because of sea water seeping through the soil or whenever there is an unusual hightide, sea water comes into their farms and kills the crops and other vegetation.

Sea water has killed the vegetation.

 This is why the villagers feel that relocation is the only option. You really can't blame them, seven years of living in this condition is not ideal.

The village Nukudamu apparently has been relocated. They feel that relocation was the only option that they had and it was a wise decision to relocate considering the incident that caused them to relocate. They relocated because in 2003, cyclone Amy came to their region and brought with her a tidal wave that destroyed the whole village. The elders, in their wisdom decided to relocate the village for fear that another incident like that would not be so merciful as the last.

Youths from Nukudamu

 The villagers were relocated under the assistance of government. In fact, government funded the whole project. The relocation did not come without problems but the villagers feel that this was nothing compared to living with the anxiety that any natural disaster would be fatal if they stayed in their old village.

Youths return from their plantations.

 There were of course certain changes which the villagers went through. They were:
1. Change in diet.
2. Change in everyday life.
3. Their was also social/economic changes.

Bese and Eddie

 These changes were felt either immediately or later on when villagers slowly realize that certain activities which they employed most of their time on whilst in the old site were slowly giving way to new priorities. An example would be that the men report that they now spent more time in their plantations and less time going to sea, as was the case before they relocated.

The need for relocation is slowly being put forward as the only option that need to be studied when considering climate change and sea level rising. Later on, I will be relaying some of the issues that I had encountered during my field work and I hope that they would enlightened some of us who feel that this subject is not important enough or worse still, do not feel that it exists at all.

One of the highlights of my fieldwork was visiting the Light House at Udu Point.