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Fiji

Forest clear felling raises Fiji flood damage

Fiji's interim government says its investigating the reason the devastating floods, after logs, debris and sludge blocked waterways and inundated rural areas.

The Permanent Secretary for the Ministry for Foresty, Viliame Naupoto, says he has teams investigating the source of this debris and claims loggers and farmers are to blame for the natural disaster, which killed 6 people and destroyed more than one hundred homes.

But the IUCN (international union for the conservation of nature) says government investment in ecosystems such as forests and wetlands could provide the natural infrastructure needed to lessen the impacts of flooding.

Presenter:Geraldine Coutts

Speaker:Viliame Naupoto, Permanent Secretary, Fiji Ministry for Foresty

Listen: Windows Media

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