The Labasa Mayor has called on the interim government to step in and dredge the two major rivers in Labasa.
Doctor Pradeep Singh said that the Qawa and Labasa rivers need urgent dredging to stop the flooding in the main town and other residential areas.
Doctor Singh said that the council has requested the current and previous governments many times to dredge the rivers, however, nothing has been done.
The Labasa Mayor has also raised concern that if urgent steps are not taken to address the problem, the northern economy will continue to worsen.
Meanwhile, Meanwhile this afternoon Interim Finance Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry agreed with the Labasa Mayor that all the major rivers should be dredged regularly and a plan should be put in place soon.
Certain areas in Labasa received more than 220 millimetres of rainfall from last night to 9 o’clock this morning.
Nadi Weather Office Director, Rajendra Prasad said this amount of rain is received during a cyclone and people should be mindful of the current weather situation.
Prasad reiterates that people living in the northern and southern parts of the country should be prepared this afternoon.
