Govt to prioritize termite eradication before providing aid to Lautoka informal settlements - Kiran

Following concerns raised by residents in Field 40 Lautoka about lack of assistance to families living in informal settlements whose homes were destroyed by termites, Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran says termites have to be killed before any assistance is provided.

While speaking to fijivillage News, Field 40 Lautoka resident Ragina Pillay says she has had to get her home repaired three times and she, along with about 30 families living in the informal settlement need assistance.

She claims because they do not have a lease on the land, they are not getting any government assistance.

Pillay says termites have destroyed the entire structure of their houses and their furniture.

In an interview with fijivillage News, Kiran says they need to destroy the termites and as part of last year's assistance, they are baiting those houses to see whether they can destroy the termites.

She says in the next phase, they are working with the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji and the private sector to get baits available.

Kiran says everybody who has termites can report to the Biosecurity Authority who has to bait the termites because termites live 50 meters underground.

Kiran says they are inviting people to register with Biosecurity Authority that they have termites and they are working on making baits available so that people all over the country who have termites can first destroy the colonies underground of their own homes.

The Assistant Minister says it does not matter where they are because the first thing they need to do is destroy the termite so, people, businesses or anyone affected by termites can register.

When questioned if people living in the informal settlements will be assisted, Kiran says they will undertake processes with the Ministry of Local Government to understand where these settlements are and what is the plan for them in terms of lease formalisation.