FIJI:

GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE

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 FIJI:
GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PROGRAMME

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD 5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6

BACKGROUND 8

GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE 12

URBAN PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT 13

LAND DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION 14

INFRASTRUCTURE AND BASIC URBAN SERVICES 15

CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT 17

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44
FOREWORD
According to
research published
in UN-Habitat’s1
flagship report, The
State of the World’s
Cities 2010-2011,
all developing
regions, including
the African,
Caribbean and
Pacific states, will
have more people
living in urban than
rural areas by the
year 2030. With
half the world’s
population already living in urban areas, the challenges
we face in the battle against urban poverty, our quest for
cities without slums, for cities where women feel safer,
for inclusive cities with power, water and sanitation,
and affordable transport, for better planned cities, and
for cleaner, greener cities is daunting.
But as this series shows, there are many interesting
solutions and best practices to which we can turn. After
all, the figures tell us that during the decade 2000 to
2010, a total of 227 million people in the developing
countries moved out of slum conditions. In other
words, governments, cities and partner institutions have
collectively exceeded the slum target of the Millennium
Development Goals twice over and ten years ahead of
the agreed 2020 deadline.
Asia and the Pacific stood at the forefront of successful
efforts to reach the slum target, with all governments
in the region improving the lives of an estimated 172
million slum dwellers between 2000 and 2010.
In sub-Saharan Africa though, the total proportion
of the urban population living in slums has decreased
by only 5 per cent (or 17 million people). Ghana,
Senegal, Uganda, and Rwanda were the most successful
countries in the sub-region, reducing the proportions of
slum dwellers by over one-fifth in the last decade.
Some 13 per cent of the progress made towards the
global slum target occurred in Latin America and the
Caribbean, where an estimated 30 million people have
moved out of slum conditions since the year 2000.
Yet, UN-Habitat estimates confirm that the progress
made on the slum target has not been sufficient to
counter the demographic expansion in informal
settlements in the developing world. In this sense,
efforts to reduce the numbers of slum dwellers are
neither satisfactory nor adequate.
1 UN-Habitat - United Nations Human Settlements Programme
As part of our drive to address this crisis, UN-Habitat
is working with the European Commission and the
Brussels-based Secretariat of the African, Caribbean
and Pacific (ACP) Group to support sustainable urban
development. Given the urgent and diverse needs, we
found it necessary to develop a tool for rapid assessment
and strategic planning to guide immediate, mid and
long-term interventions. And here we have it in the
form of this series of publications.
The Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme is based
on the policy dialogue between UN-Habitat, the ACP
Secretariat and the European Commission which dates
back to the year 2002. When the three parties met at
UN-Habitat headquarters in June 2009, more than 200
delegates from over 50 countries approved a resounding
call on the international community to pay greater
attention to these urbanization matters, and to extend
the slum upgrading programme to all countries in the
ACP Group.
It is worth recalling here how grateful we are that the
European Commission’s 9th European Development
Fund for ACP countries provided EUR 4 million (USD
5.7 million at June 2011 rates) to enable UN-Habitat
to conduct the programme which now serves 59 cities
in 23 African countries, and more than 20 cities in six
Pacific, and four Caribbean countries.
Indeed, since its inception in 2008, the slum upgrading
programme has achieved the confidence of partners at
city and country level in Africa, the Caribbean and in
the Pacific. It is making a major contribution aimed
at helping in urban poverty reduction efforts, as each
report in this series shows."
I wish to express my gratitude to the European
Commission and the ACP Secretariat for their
commitment to this slum upgrading programme. I
have every confidence that the results outlined in this
profile, and others, will serve to guide the development
of responses for capacity building and investments in
the urban sector.
Further, I would like to thank each Country Team for
their continued support to this process which is essential
for the successful implementation of the Participatory
Slum Upgrading Programme.
FOREWORD
Dr. Joan Clos
Executive Director, UN-Habitat
5 5
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
The Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme is an
accelerated and action-oriented urban assessment of
needs and capacity-building gaps at the city level. The
European Commission’s European Development Fund
supports this programme which is being implemented
in 59 cities of 23 African countries, as well as 21 cities
in four Pacific and three Caribbean countries. The
programme uses a structured approach where priority
interventions are agreed on through consultative
processes. The programme’s methodology consists of
three phases: (1) a rapid participatory urban profiling at
national and local levels, focusing on governance, local
economic development, land, gender, environment,
slums and shelter, basic urban services, waste
management, and proposed interventions; (2) detailed
priority proposals; and (3) project implementation.
Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme in Fiji
encompasses profiles for Suva and Lautoka. Each
profile is published as a separate report. This is the Suva
City report; it constitutes a general background and a
synthesis of the five themes: governance and finance;
urban planning and management; land development
and administration; infrastructure and basic urban
services; and climate change and disaster management.
BACKGROUND
The Greater Suva urban area is set on a peninsula along
the Suva-Nausori corridor, extending to undulating
lands from the coastal west of Lami Town to the eastern
delta town of Nausori, where its geographical features
have influenced urban growth as well as the character
and management of each urban centre.
Lami lies west of the peninsula and rises towards the
north while the nation’s capital city, Suva, and Nasinu
Town reveal topographies of hilly areas and tablelands,
providing the natural setting for growth along Kings
Road. On the most eastern end lies Nausori which is
divided by the Rewa River. These physical attributes
play a role in the level and provision of infrastructure
and services. In contrast to the dry city of Lautoka
and the wet town of Nadi, Greater Suva continuously
experiences high rainfall by virtue of its location,
particularly Suva and Lami. They are declared as
vulnerable areas because of the fault lines that run from
Veisari to Suva.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
Greater Suva urban is made up of the towns of Lami,
Nasinu, Nausori, and the city of Suva, each responsible
for its management and administration as mandated
under sections 5 and 6 of the Local Government Act
(Cap125). Suva is the dominant centre and the others
are its satellites.
66
The jurisdiction of Greater Suva does not extend to the
few traditional villages that lie within its vicinity. Rather,
these villages are under the authority of the Fijian Affairs
Act. The Central Board of Health, through application
of public health regulations, administers development
control.
There are “gaps” and pressure areas within the city
proper that do not fall within its jurisdiction; these are
areas that fall under the Suva Rural and Nausori Rural
Local Authorities. These areas are dominantly residential
and have been released for urban uses through the
vakavanua arrangements with traditional Letters of
Understanding on native lands in the Suva-Nausori
corridor. Vakavanua are customary land arrangements
with Fijians and non Fijians.[
Since the Local Government Review and Reform
of 2008, Suva City Council has been administered
and managed by a special administrator, replacing
democratically-elected councillors, with a chief
executive officer as the city manager.
With Suva as the main trading centre, Lami has grown,
as it is no longer a mere sub-centre to Suva. Nasinu is a
residential town and its growth stems from the transport
sector.
URBAN PLANNING AND
MANAGEMENT
To manage Greater Suva urban area and ensure its
coordinated growth, Greater Suva’s primary planning
tools include the Approved Town Planning Scheme and
the Greater Suva Urban Growth Management Plan of
2004. Nasinu currently operates under a Draft Town
Planning Scheme to regulate and control development.
These consists of a zoning map; planning scheme reports
which provide strategic policy directions for the town,
including areas projected for growth and the town
planning general provisions; the regulating document
outlining standards; and development control guidelines
supplementary to town planning schemes.
Other planning tools and documents for control are
sectoral. They include the Suva Foreshore Master Plan,
and the plan of agencies whose jurisdiction covers
areas within the Greater Suva vicinity; for example the
Native Lands Trust Board, the Land Use Master Plan
of the Greater Suva Urban (2006), the Nausori Airport
Runway Extension (2006), and the five-year Fiji
Tourism Master Plan of 2007. Most of these plans were
formulated through an extensive consultation process.
For the purpose of local area control and management,
other regulations in place include Public Health and
Building Regulations, the National Building Code and
the Environment Impact Assessment Regulations.
LAND DEVELOPMENT AND
ADMINISTRATION
Land in Greater Suva, like any other urban centre in
Fiji, covers the three main land tenures: State, native
and freehold land. While administration of freehold
properties rests entirely with private individuals, State
and native lands are administered by the director of
lands and the Taukei Lands Trust Board, respectively.
The Taukei Lands Trust Board is the custodian, hence
is the agency that the Native Lands Trust Act has
mandated to administer Taukei lands or that which
indigenous landowning units own communally. State
land is administered under the Crown Lands Act.
Nasinu and Nausori have pursued boundary extensions
in their effort to increase land for economic development
and for urban residential homes. Any future land for
expansion, including proposed boundary extensions,
consist of native land within northern Suva: that is
to say Tacirua, Tovata and Nausori, extending north-
east. Farmlands adjoin the town boundary north-east
of Nausori and could be used for additional industrial
land.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND BASIC
URBAN SERVICES
The Greater Suva Urban Growth Management Plan
recorded that at least 20 per cent of the Greater Suva
population still lived in underserviced peri-urban areas
and in the informal settlements. Recent upgrading
works by the Ministry of Local Government, Urban
Development, Housing, and Environment in some of
the informal settlements within the region - such as
Bangladesh, Lakena, Caubati, Omkari, and Lami - will
result in an increase in access to proper services within
the next five years. This is in addition to proposed
major residential subdivisions within the Suva-Nausori
corridor and the peri-urban areas of Suva and Nausori.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
77
 BACKGROUND
INTRODUCTION
Urban Profiling
The Greater Suva Urban Profiling consists of an
accelerated, action-oriented assessment of urban
conditions. The profiling focuses on priority needs,
capacity gaps and existing institutional responses at
local and national levels.
The purpose of the study is to develop urban
poverty reduction policies at local, national and
regional levels, through an assessment of needs and
response mechanisms, and as a contribution to the
wider-ranging implementation of the Millennium
Development Goals. The study is based on analysis of
existing data and a series of interviews with all relevant
urban stakeholders. These stakeholders include local
communities and institutions; civil society; the private
sector; development partners; and academics. The
consultation typically results in a collective agreement
on priorities and their development into proposed
capacity-building and other projects that are aimed at
urban poverty reduction.
The urban profiling is being implemented in 30
African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, offering
an opportunity for comparative regional analysis.
Once completed, this series of studies will provide a
framework for central and local authorities and urban
actors, as well as donors and external support agencies.
METHODOLOGY
The Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme
consists of three phases:
GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE - BACKGROUND
Phase one consists of the rapid profiling of urban
conditions at national and local levels. The capital
city, a medium-sized city and a small town are selected
and studied to provide a representative sample in each
country.
The analysis focuses on five themes: governance and
finance; urban planning and management; land
development and administration; infrastructure and
basic urban services; and climate change and disaster
management. Information is collected through standard
interviews and discussions with institutions and key
informants, in order to assess the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats of the national and local urban
set-ups. The findings are presented and refined during
city and national consultation workshops and consensus
is reached regarding priority interventions. National and
city reports synthesize the information collected and
outline ways to reduce urban poverty through holistic
approaches.
Phase two builds on the priorities identified through
pre-feasibility studies and develops detailed capacity-
88
building and capital investment projects.
Phase three implements the projects developed
during the two earlier phases, with an emphasis on
skills development, institutional strengthening and
replication.
This report presents the outcomes of Phase One at the
local level in Suva.
URBAN PROFILING IN GREATER
SUVA
Urban Profiling in Fiji encompasses a national profile
as well as those for Suva (the capital), Lautoka (a mid-
size city) and Nadi (a small-size city). Each profile is
published as a separate report.
This is the Greater Suva Urban Profile report which
constitutes a general background, a synthesis of the
major five themes: governance and finance; urban
planning and management; land development and
administration; infrastructure and basic urban services;
climate change and disaster management. This report
also outlines project proposals that are considered
relevant to the Greater Suva Urban Profiling.
REPORT STRUCTURE
This report consists of:
1. A general background of the urban sector of Greater
Suva. The backgrounder is based on the findings of
assessment of the municipal council’s reports, strategic
plans, desk studies, interviews, and questionnaires.
The backgrounder includes data on administration,
urban planning, economy, the informal and private
sectors, urban poverty, infrastructure and basic urban
services, public transport, energy, social services,
rural-urban linkages, town-traditional urban village
linkages, land tenure and administration, health,
and education.
2. A synthetic assessment of five main areas: governance
and finance; urban planning and management; land
development and administration; infrastructure
and basic urban services; and climate change and
disaster management. This section also provides
an overview of the existing institutional set-up,
regulatory framework, resource mobilization, and
performance. A list of project proposals to attend to
areas of priority is also identified.
3. A basic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats analysis, and an outline of priority project
proposals for each theme, is also provided.
POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHY
An estimated 57 per cent of the country’s urban
population (approximately 244,000 people) resides
within the study region. The projected urban population
of the Greater Suva is shown in the table below based
on the population census of 2001, 2007 and annual
recording of the Fiji Bureau of Statistics.
ECONOMY
With over 60 per cent of the national economy’s
income generated in the urban centres, the main trade
and business centre of the country is the Greater Suva
urban region. The ports and points of entry generate
economic activity; with vessels, including cruise-liners,
berthing at the Suva Harbour along with their domestic
and foreign visitors to the capital city. The Nausori and

Area 1996 86/96% 20012 2001- 2006 2011 2011- 2016 2021 Area
Pop 2011% 2021%
SUVA 167,975 - 84,859 89,435 94,257 96,748 99,308 SUVA
Incorporated 77,366 1.06 81,405 1.06 85,794 90,419 0.5 92,702 95,043 Incorporated
Peri-Urban 90,609 2.39 3,454 1.06 3,641 4,046 1.06 4,046 4,264 Peri-Urban
Lami 18,928 - 20,164 22,197 24,437 27,040 29,921 Lami
Incorporated 10,556 2.08 11,662 2.08 12,925 14,324 2.08 15,875 17,594 Incorporated
Peri-Urban 8,732 0.32 8,052 1.75 9,272 10,113 2.00 11,165 12,327 Peri-Urban
NASINU 78,820 88,429 99,217 104,772 110,661 NASINU
Incorporated 0 1.75 71,000 1.75 79,900 89,915 1.00 94,502 99,322 Incorporated
Peri-Urban 74,985 2.39 7,820 2.39 8,529 9,302 2.00 10,270 11,338 Peri-Urban
NAUSORI 21,617 46,510 53,841 62,692 69,605 77,397 NAUSORI
Incorporated 5,744 0.92 18,135 0.92 18,985 19,875 0.92 20,806 21, 781 Incorporated
Peri-Urban 15,873 6.16 28,375 4.2 34,856 42,817 2.65 48,799 55,616 Peri-Urban
NAVUA 4,183 NAVUA
Urban 4,183 4.2 5,105 4.2 6, 270 7, 700 4.2 9,457 11,615 Urban
GREATER GREATER
SUVA SUVA

GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE - BACKGROUND

Incorporated 93,666 1.16 182,202 1.6 213,545 0.9 233.740 Incorporated
[Source: UGMAP, December 2004, FBOS Key Statistics 2011]
The Greater Suva’s current population has surpassed the projected 213,545 in the Urban Growth Management Plan Report of 2006. It shall
be noted that this figure does not account for residents of traditional villages within the town boundary who are exempted as per the Local
Government Act (Cap125).

9 9
 Nadi airports also boost economic activity. Imminent
airport runway extensions are bound to increase these
activities through greater demand for aviation services.
This will impact Nausori as a point of entry and
“parking” or transit routes for some of the major flights
throughout the South Pacific, including New Zealand
and Australia.
Nausori is growing in anticipation of the runway
extension which will accommodate larger aircrafts from
three of the country’s major provinces: Rewa, Tailevu
and Naitasiri. This will also lead to an increase in airport
and airline catering, cargo centres and other aviation
operations. Improvements in access have directly
triggered an increase in the agricultural economy. This
is reflected in the town’s municipal produce market,
corresponding to the urgent need for the Nausori Town
Council to develop its bus station and market.
The public transport industry thrives in Nasinu.
However, there is a high rate of traffic congestion.
As a result, the central government has committed
to widening Kings Road and several minor bridges.
These infrastructures, once built, will play a major role
in boosting business activity along the Suva-Nausori
corridor.
Greater Suva Urban also embarked on joint ventures with
the private sector on major commercial developments.
THE INFORMAL AND PRIVATE
SECTORS
Majority of the working population are engaged
in formal employment. The tourism and transport
industries employ most people. Greater Suva is the main
GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE - BACKGROUND
economic hub of Fiji; generating activities in commerce,
industry, information technology, and manufacturing.
Tourism also provides income for the informal sectors
in the sale of handicrafts and local artifacts.
National Micro-Enterprise (the country’s main agency),
Small Business Industries and the International Labour
Organization assist the informal sector in areas that
included capacity-building, the establishment of small
businesses; and cottage industries. The Integrated
Human Resource Development Programme of the
Ministry of Labour has also had significant impact on
the growth of the informal sector within urban and
peri-urban areas.
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10
WATER
Fiji Bureau of Statistics records over 60 per cent of
the country’s population as having has direct access to
clean drinking water through connection to the water
reticulation system that the Water Authority of Fiji
administers. The continued upgrading of projects by
the Water Authority of Fiji reflects the Government’s
commitment to provide this basic need to all its citizens.
However, the continued water cuts and shortages of
the last 10 years in Greater Suva have undermined this
effort.
SANITATION, SEWERAGE AND
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
The old subdivisions within the Greater Suva Urban
area have no connection to the sewerage system.
However areas developed from the mid-1990s became
subjected to urban standards, requiring mandatory
connections. All new developments within Suva and
Nasinu are connected to the sewerage system. The
wastewater management upgrading works of the Suva-
Nausori corridor, which the Asian Development Bank
supports, aim to extend sewerage connections to Lami
and Nausori. This will improve the urban environment
and public health. Provision of sanitation, sewerage
and solid waste management services within informal
settlements vary and are ad-hoc. This puts the health of
informal settlement residents at risk.
The Naboro landfill is the main basin for dumping
of solid waste in Greater Suva. Waste from all the
major urban centres ends up here. The Ministry of
Local Government, Urban Development, Housing
and Environment - through the Department of
Environment - has identified a waste transfer station site
in Suva to reduce the high costs of transporting garbage
to the Naboro landfill. Commencement of work at this
transfer facility is still at the preliminary stage as each
municipality within Greater Suva Urban area seeks to
identify its own landfill or transfer site.
ENERGY, POWER USE AND
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The Fiji Electricity Authority serves residents of Greater
Suva. Residents also receive the services of various
communication and telecommunication providers,
including mobile services.
The interest to pursue alternative sources of energy,
particularly solar, is fairly low, given the impact of
climate change on the city and limited potential solar
energy. However, city and town councils are encouraged
to pursue energy-saving initiatives; Lami is operating
vehicles that run on biofuel, whilst Suva has installed
low energy lights within the Central Business District.
ROAD ACCESS, MOBILITY AND
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The Council maintains all roads within Greater Suva
town boundary all of which are tar-sealed. The main
roads serving Greater Suva include Kings Road, which
serves the Suva-Nausori corridor; part of the Suva-Nadi
Highway and the main arterial roads such as Princess,
Ratu Dovi and Wainibokasi. Other arteries to the
existing road network are the main subdivisional roads
within each sub-centre. The Government’s position on
road maintenance, through the Ministry of National
Planning’s Coordinating Committee Agency on Roads,
has placed major pressure on Suva City Council in
maintaining urban roads, as prioritization of road
works rests with the Coordinating Committee Agency
on Roads.
RURAL-URBAN AND TOWN-
TRADITIONAL URBAN VILLAGE
LINKAGES
The rate of urbanization in the Greater Suva area is
closely associated with the opportunities that exist for
education, employment, commerce, and industry.
The expiry of agricultural native leases in the rural west
of Ba, Ra and Tavua; and from the Northern Division,
particularly Labasa, has led to a huge migration of
people to Greater Suva. However, this factor has also
contributed to the increasing number of informal
settlements. The landowning units of these villages do
play a major role in determining land use, utilization
and administration of their land in consultation with
the I Taukei Lands Trust Board. While a percentage of
involvement of governance has always been reserved
for Letters of Understanding, through representations
in municipal councils, the current Government system
sees Letters of Understanding as being engaged in joint
economic ventures. This is encouraged by the Ministry
of Local Government and is in line with the Urban
Policy Action Plan in tackling the ad-hoc release of
prime native land.
GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE - BACKGROUND
1111
 GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE - GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
The local government review and reform of 2008 has
brought about positive changes and challenges to the
administration and management of municipalities.
The reform is an initiative of the Ministry of Local
Government, Urban Development, Housing, and
Environment. The Ministry has undertaken this in an
effort to foster efficient service delivery, along principles
of good governance, by municipalities. The main
challenge is the sustainability of the reform initiatives
because issues have started to surface since the reform
started in 2008.
Since the reform, the Greater Suva area has experienced
changes at all facets of urban management. Some of the
challenges include:
t
That the role and responsibilities of special
administrators and chief executive officers are
not clearly defined such that, at times, differences
triggered at the upper echelon have resulted in high
turnover of personnel.
t
The Government-appointed special administrators
are also subjected to public scrutiny, such that
complaints on their performance have also resulted
in dismissals from office. This affects decision-
making required under the Local Government Act.
t
The ongoing improvement in rate collection has
boosted the financial position and strength of
12
12
councils. However, there is also the pressure to
comprehend and embrace the revenue collected
by the councils and their capacity to manage these
funds as received.
t
The current accounting practices have not been
sufficiently conducive to track fraudulent practices,
as in the cases of Nasinu and Nausori. Urban finance
issues affect the relationship between the councils
and its ratepayers.
t
While collection of current rates has been progressive,
the pace of receiving rate arrears is enormous. This
has resulted in revenue loss as councils tire of efforts
to recover these outstanding rates. Moreover, there
are increasing requests for waiving of rates but this
is deemed unfair by those whose rates have been up-
to-date.
t
The level of skilled workers or officers at the
local government is a contributing factor to the
administration of the council. There has been very
little effort in human resource development and
management in the Greater Suva, so that workers
are abreast with the latest technology and know-
how in their operations for the betterment of the
city. There is also no town planner in Greater Suva.
URBAN PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
Each of the municipalities within Greater Suva has
an approved town planning scheme, allowing them
to determine development within their boundaries.
The limited capacity of qualified workers and within
the municipalities, in understanding the operation of
planning schemes, has resulted in their non-utilization
and of planning scheme reports and statements.
There is also a notable lack of understanding and
acknowledgement of the existing planning documents
by government infrastructrure agencies. Some of these
documents include the Greater Suva Urban Growth
Management Plan; the Taukei Lands Trust Board,
Greater Suva Land Use Master Plan (2007) by land
developers, i-taukei landowning units, property owners,
and land developing agencies. The compound effects
trigger the weak enforcement systems leading to illegal
developments and activities and poor enforcement of
building codes.
Greater Suva Urban area also faces the following
challenges:
t
There are no professional town planners in the
Greater Suva Urban councils, with the exception
of Suva City which engages a consultant to carry
out strategic physical planning and supervises
development control, in compliance with the town
planning schemes.
t
Lack of qualified council staff.
GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE - URBAN PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
t
Only Suva and Nausori have Town Planning Units.
Nasinu is yet to establish its own.
t
Development agencies place much emphasis on the
creation of lots without giving much thought to
strategic planning.
t
Municipalities within Greater Suva pay scant regard
to the strategies outlined in the Scheme Report,
which are provided to deal with identified urban
issues. There is also the lack of understanding and
knowledge on how to implement the town Scheme.
t
Councils have very little knowledge of the Greater
Suva Urban Growth Management Plan (2006),
even after the recent engagement of the Cities
Development Initiative for Asia, which is in Fiji
carrying out a pre-feasibility study on the capital
needs of Greater Suva.
t
There is little effort by the Greater Suva urban area
authorities to improve human resource capacity
of council staff and to enhance town planning
knowledge and skills for the effective implementation
of town planning schemes. Furthermore, there is
little investment made in technology to improve
efficiency and productivity at local council level.
Contrary to suggestions for work attachments at the
Department of Town and Country Planning, this
opportunity has not been fully utilized.
1313
 LAND DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
Greater Suva covers an extensive area of land comprising
native or customary land, State and freehold land. The
utilization of land in the area for urban development
is directly influenced by factors such as terrain and
non-favourable topography, which hike infrastructure
costs and results in slow implementation of capital
infrastructure programmes such as construction
of transport, water and sewerage systems. The
limited provision of infrastructure to accommodate
development in the city has resulted in the delayed
implementation of urban development programmes in
Greater Suva.
Customary landowners misunderstand and misinterpret
the legal rights to development. This misinterpretation is
worsened by the lack of knowledge of land use processes
GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE - LAND DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
1414
and laws. As a result, land is released for housing
without going through the proper legal channels. This
has led to the rise in illegal informal settlements and
developments on customary land that lack access to
basic urban services. These developments also affect the
supply of basic urban services to the formal areas due to
illegal connections to the service systems.
The level of understanding, knowledge and skills of
land development agencies on the land development
process has also affected the manner in which land has
been developed in the Greater Suva. There is a clear
indication of limited professionals and underqualified
and inexperienced personnel recruited by land agencies.
There is also very little investment in capacity-building
and institutional strengthening.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND BASIC URBAN SERVICES
The slow implementation of the five-year plan for the
Suva-Nausori Water and Sewerage Master Plan is one
of the main challenges Greater Suva and other urban
centres in Fiji are facing. Old and undersized water
pipes cannot contain the high demand for water supply
in Greater Suva, resulting in frequent pipe bursts and,
as a result, water shortages. This has been the experience
of Lami and Delainavesi as well as the higher areas
of Tamavua, Tacirua, and the upper Nasinu areas of
Caubati to Makoi.
There are new and proposed major developments
already approved for Greater Suva: examples of this are
the major subdivisions of Tacirua East Stage II, Nepani,
Wainibuku, Sauniwaqa, Waila City, Koronivia; and the
immediate peri-urban areas east of Nausori along Vuci
Road. The area is also experiencing the increased growth
of squatter settlements, especially in the Suva-Nausori
corridor. These factors should be taken into account
when implementing the master plan.
In addition to the slow implementation of this plan,
land developers display a lack of commitment to build
their own sewerage treatment plant for major residential
developments. They prefer to connect to the existing
sewerage system, which can trigger an overload. For
instance, Phase I of the Waila City - which will have a
projected population of 3,000 - will still be connected
to the Kinoya Sewerage Treatment Plant.
GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE - INFRASTRUCTURE AND BASIC URBAN SERVICES
The Millennium subdivision in Nausori, a 400-lot
subdivision, is not connected to the Nausori Sewerage
Treatment Plant as is the Taukei Lands Trust Board.
Instead, the subdivision uses a septic tank system of
disposing sewerage. Nausori has a high water table
which, in future, will be affected in terms of limited
soakage capacity, thus increasing susceptibility to public
health issues.
The absence of a sewerage reticulation system limits site
development potential. This forces property owners to
pursue higher standards of sewerage management, for
example on-site localized secondary or tertiary systems
within individual lots. While costly, this has become the
acceptable practice to aid development; for instance,
multi-unit residential or major investments to be sited
in the old subdivisions of Suva and Lami. However,
there is need to build a proper sewerage reticulation
system for Greater Suva in order to foster increased
development of the urban area.
HOUSING
Over 51 per cent of Fiji’s urban population resides in
Greater Suva.
Recognizing the high cost of housing in Fiji, the Ministry
of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing,
1515
 and Environment has embarked on its programme of
implementing the strategies of the National Housing
Policy (2011). The major challenge of housing in Fiji,
more specifically in Greater Suva, is the associated high
costs of developing housing land, given the terrain.
Land for housing is expensive and this has contributed
to the increased growth of informal settlements.
Limited sewerage reticulation services have limited
the development of high-rise residential buildings
and multi-unit residential or apartment housing. For
instance, Toorak and growth areas on the periphery of
the Central Business District have been subjected to
conversions for commercial development, including
offices rather than increasing housing stock. In Nasinu,
there is increasing housing stock because most of the
area is connected to sewerage systems and all new
subdivisions require sewerage connections.
High demand for housing has resulted in the increased
growth of residential areas in Nasinu. This has resulted
GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE - INFRASTRUCTURE AND BASIC URBAN SERVICES
in more overcrowding and in increased demand
for relaxation of development controls, in terms of
reduction to yard clearances and illegal developments.
This is evident in the Nasinu and Nausori town
extension area of Nakasi and Davuilevu housing.
A study has recorded that close to half the 200 settlements
in Fiji are in Greater Suva. While the number of squatter
settlements has stalled in Suva and Nasinu, there is an
increase in the density of the existing settlements, for
example Wailea in Suva, Caubati Central and Omkar
in Nasinu.
1616
Lengthy administrative and procurement processes
also play a role in the growth of informal settlements.
Documentation and tender processes delay project
implementation such that by the time project works
begin, the settlement population has been doubled,
leading to needed amendments and variation costs.
There has been increasing interest by landowning units
to engage in formal subdivision works, compared to
previous practices of releasing land for housing under
the “vakavanua” arrangements.
Resettlement or relocation of squatters in the event
of land to be developed for housing (for example. the
Namara Settlement), is costly for the government. The
situation is worsened by the slow delivery of squatter
upgrading projects, resulting from limited professionals
or qualified people to efficiently and effectively
carry out the project to completion. There is also a
slow acknowledgement by councils on partnership
contribution to improve the urban environment.
The slow implementation of infrastructure upgrading
delays subdivision works; and the high cost of
infrastructure affects cost of housing land, leading to
increased density of settlements.
Search for employment and better education
opportunities are the major factors pushing rural
dwellers to the urban areas. There are high resource
skills in the squatter settlements for small business
ventures but there are limited facilities or avenues to
market their products.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT
There has not been a major disaster in Greater Suva
in the last 10 years, although Cyclone Ami had some
impact in Nausori, causing many businesses to shift
location in anticipation of major floods.
The vulnerable areas are the squatter settlements along
River Road in Narere, Nasinu as well as those along
the coastal fringes and river banks like Tamavua River,
Kalekana in Lami and Nanuku Settlement in Vatuwaqa.
There is also great concern about the vulnerability of
squatters in terms of urban health and lower or poor
living conditions. Squatters are susceptible to fire and
diseases such as the 2010 typhoid epidemic which swept
through the Wailea and Jittu settlements, because they
were near the sewer treatment plant for Suva.
Evidence of impacts of climate change is not documented
adequately and the small ratio of disaster to casualties
contributes to little acknowledgement of the impact
of climate change in the urban centres. This little
information indirectly encourages local governments
to make only slight efforts in formulating their own
disaster reduction and management plans, leaving that
task to the National Disaster Management Office which
has become the central coordinating agency for disaster
management in Fiji.
GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE - CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT
17
ng
ent
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 GREATER SUVA URBAN PROFILE

The Suva Urban Profiling consists of an accelerated, action-oriented assessment of urban conditions, focusing on priority needs,
capacity gaps, and existing institutional responses at local and national levels. The purpose of the study is to develop urban
poverty reduction policies at local, national, and regional levels, through an assessment of needs and response mechanisms, and
as a contribution to the wider-ranging implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. The study is based on analysis
of existing data and a series of interviews with all relevant urban stakeholders, including local communities and institutions,
civil society, the private sector, development partners, academics, and others. The consultation typically results in a collective
agreement on priorities and their development into proposed capacity-building and other projects that are all aimed at urban
poverty reduction. The urban profiling is being implemented in 30 ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) countries, offering an
opportunity for comparative regional analysis. Once completed, this series of studies will provide a framework for central and
local authorities and urban actors, as well as donors and external support agencies.

HS Number: HS/081/12E
ISBN Number (Series): 978-92-1-132023-7
ISBN Number (Volume): 978-92-1-132495-2

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PROGRAMME

P.O Box 30030 - 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254-20-7623120
Fax: +254-20-7623426/7 (Central Office)
infohabitat@unhabitat.org
www.unhabitat.org/publications

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