Strengthening Fiji’s Villages Against Flooding: Hydrological Insights and Solutions

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In Fiji’s coastal villages, flooding is becoming a more frequent and disruptive part of life. To help communities prepare, eCoast and the Asian Development Bank worked together in 2025 to study flood risks in Nadogoloa, Vanuavou, and Kanakana. By listening to villagers and modelling future climate impacts, the project explored practical solutions—from mangrove restoration to raised roads—that strengthen resilience and safeguard livelihoods.

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Information

• Location: Nadogoloa, Vanuavou, Kanakana villages, Fiji
• Client: Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• Project Date: 2025

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Scope of Work:

• Flood hazard modelling
• Climate change impact projections (including sea-level rise)
• Risk assessment for vulnerable communities
• Adaptation and resilience planning

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Project Description:

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The study assessed flood risks in Nadogoloa, Vanavvou, and Kanakana villages using high-resolution topography, rainfall data, and HEC-HMS/HEC-RAS modelling. Simulations included astronomical tides and +0.4 m sea-level rise to mid-century, showing Nadogoloa’s flood plain is highly overtopped, Vanavvou’s plain is widely exposed, and Kanakana faces combined riverine and tidal flooding.

Community consultations and site surveys guided location-specific adaptation options, including raised bunds, expanded mangrove zones, upgraded culverts, and elevated roads. Soft and hard measures were assessed alongside long-term options such as voluntary relocation, ensuring resilience solutions reflected local needs and knowledge.

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Key Outcomes:

• Escalating flood risk: Without timely interventions, significant flooding will continue. Even moderate storms (20 to 50 year events) inundate large parts of the villages, and many residents have already relocated to higher ground after repeated floods.
• Ecosystem-based defences: A phased protection strategy is recommended –e.g. rehabilitate and expand mangrove buffers and wetlands while supplementing them with bio-engineered structures (sand berms, breakwaters).
• Improved drainage and warning: Upgrade and maintain drainage channels (dredging creeks, enlarging culverts, adding tidal gates) and establish community flood-warning systems to reduce inundation.
• Elevated infrastructure: Raise or flood-proof critical assets (roads, schools, clinics) above design flood levels.
• Managed retreat: For the most exposed areas, plan voluntary relocation–consistent with observed shifts to higher ground–as a long-term resilience strategy.
• Community consultation: Maintain robust, inclusive engagement: all measures were co-developed with villagers, ensuring that resilience solutions reflect local needs and knowledge.

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