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Fiji Post Disaster needs assessment report details TC Winston impact on key sectors

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The macroeconomic impact of Tropical Cyclone Winston in Fiji is expected to be substantial given the significant damage incurred.

This is particularly to key sectors, such as housing, transport, manufacturing, agriculture, electricity and communications.

The impact has been highlighted in the Government’s Post Disaster Needs Assessment Report which Fiji One News has obtained.

The effects of the disaster on the Agriculture Sector stands at $542 million (US$261 million).

The total effects of TC Winston on crops, livestock, sugar, fisheries and forestry is F$542 million, of which F$80.3 million (US$38.7 million) is attributable to damage and F$460.7 million (US$222.4 million) is attributable to loss.

The total value of recovery and reconstruction needs for the agriculture sector is estimated at F$161 million (US$77.7 million), of which F$65 million (US$31.3 million) is required for recovery and F$96 million (US$46.3 million) is required for reconstruction needs.

Fiji’s Shadow Minister for Economy Dr Biman Prasad has welcomed the Post Disaster Needs Assessment report.

“If you look at the suggestions we made with respect to the sugar industry, where significant damage has been done in the Ra province, in the Ba province and also parts of Vanua Levu where the income losses of not only sugar cane farmers but vegetable farmers, other crop sectors have been huge and one would have thought that government would have prioritised the agriculture sector in those areas with significant injection of funds in those areas” said Prasad.

Damage to the Housing Sector stands at F$751 million (US$362 million).

The housing sector in the Western Division was the most affected with total damage estimated at F$439 million (US$211 million), followed by the Northern and Eastern Divisions, respectively.

Damaged houses in the Western Division also include those that were planned and constructed by statutory bodies like the Housing Authority of Fiji, the Public Rental Board and HART.

Both the public and private sectors incurred losses in the housing sector of a combined amount of F$26.4 million (US$12.4 million).

The Recovery and Reconstruction Needs for the Housing Sector is F$857 million (US$413 million).

Another worst hit sector is Education which total damage standing at $70 million (US$33.7 million).

Recovery works in the sector will include rebuilding completely damaged schools, repairing and upgrading partially damaged schools; and replacing damaged furniture, equipment, and teaching and learning resources.

The Recovery and Reconstruction Needs for the Education Sector is F$386 million (US$186 million).

For the Health Sector, the total damage to the health sector was estimated at approximately F$7.7 million (US$3.7 million)

The total recovery needs of the health sector are estimated at F$30.9 million (US$14.9 million) in order to ensure that health services are fully operational and able to meet the health care requirements of Fijians.

“I would think that the government needs to rethink, it should re look at its Head 50 allocations in the miscellaneous expenditure and if it’s possible, government should re prioritise some of those expenditures in light of what’s in the report and focus its efforts on productive recovery and also restoring key services” said Prasad.

The estimated value of the damage arising from TC Winston is F$1.99 billion (US$960 million).

The Post Disaster Needs Assessment will form the basis of the country’s long term plan.

The assessments which highlight reconstruction needs in all key sectors will be documented in a Disaster Recovery Framework.

SOURCE: FIJI TV/PACNEWS