William Young
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William Young Freshwater conflicts in Lami (Fiji Islands): A case study of Matata, Matasivaro, Quaia and Suvavou. Dissertação realizada no âmbito do Mestrado em Riscos, Cidades e Ordenamento do Território, orientada pela Professora Doutora: Carmen do Céu Gonçalves Ferreira Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto Setembro de 2015 Freshwater conflicts in Lami (Fiji Islands): A case study of Matata, Matasivaro, Quaia and Suvavou. William Young Dissertação realizada no âmbito do Mestrado em Riscos, Cidades e Ordenamento do Território, orientada pela Professora Doutora: Carmen do Céu Gonçalves Ferreira Membros do Júri Professora Doutora: Ana Maria Rodrigues Monteiro Sousa Faculdade de Letras – Universidade do Porto. Professora Doutora: Carmen do Céu Gonçalves Ferreira Faculdade de Letras – Universidade do Porto. Professora Doutora: Fátima Loureiro de Matos Faculdade de Letras – Universidade do Porto. Classificação obtida: 19 valores ii Acknowledgements This thesis is the result of various contributions and efforts of many individuals. Though it may not be possible to mention everyone who has helped in getting this completed, please accept this as a token of appreciation. First of all I would like to thank God for wisdom and strength in getting this completed. Special thanks and gratitude to my supervisor Carmen do Céu Gonçalves Ferreira and for the encouragement, devotion, scholarly advice and patience and being an exceptional mentor. Secondly my sincere appreciation to rest of the professors and friendly staff at the University of Porto who helped me in my study here in Portugal they include: Professor Fátima Loureiro de Matos, Prof António Alberto Teixeira Gomes, Prof. Carlos Valdir de Meneses Bateira, Prof. Mario Gonçalves Fernandes, Prof. Teresa Maria Vieira de Sá Marques, Prof. Helder Trigo Gomes Marques, Prof. Ana Maria Rodrigues Monteiro Sousa and Prof. Maria Helena Mesquita Pina, Sandra Melo, Alexandra Melo and Carla Augusto. My sincere appreciation goes to my colleagues and friends who supported me here in Universidade do Porto; Usaia Gaunavou, Maluseu Tapaeko, Nemaia Koto, Baraniko Namanoku, Epeli Loganimoce, Kesaia Vunicagi, Mere Vukialau, Beshoy Girgis, Ana Sofia, Liliana Teixeira, Liliana Castro, Daniel Silva, Ricardo Gouveia and Poonam Santiago. Not forgetting a special thanks to Paulo Lemos, Jéssica Moreira, Inês Gomes for all the help rendered in SPSS. My appreciation also goes out to all individuals in Suvavou village and Matasivaro, Matata and Quaia settlements who provided raw data to my research. Special thanks also to Mr Alexander Wilson, the Wilson family, and Ms Rave Tuihea for conducting the questionnaire survey and their tireless efforts day and night in ensuring my data arrived to Portugal. Lastly, my sincere appreciation and thanks goes to my beloved parents Mr Joseph Young and Ms Fuata Young and my siblings Peter, Patrick and Gloria who without your tireless prayers, dedication, encouragement, work and sacrifice I would not be able to get where I am today. Fai'aksia e Hanisi, Muito Obrigado/Vinaka Vakalevu/ Thank You iii Abstract Water is a resource which we cannot live without. Almost all living organisms on this planet needs water to survive and it is considered the most precious liquid on the planet. It is the key driver for any social and economic activities of all economies of the world. As stated by Blöch (2004), "Water is not just a commercial product, but a Heritage and must be protected, defended and treated as such", and this sums up how important water is in the World. With this in mind, it can also bring destruction if there is too much or less of water. Water disputes arise usually when there is a lack of accessibility to water resources. In some countries, consumption outweighs the natural replenishing rates which lead to scarcity, causing tensions and disagreements on the utilization of water resources. For many nations, access to fresh water has become an economic, social, and human rights issue. The aim of this research is to study the nature and characteristics of water problems among the communities in Fiji, with particular focus on the study areas of Matata, Matasivaro, Quaia settlements and Suvavou village in Lami on the Viti Levu island, and see how if these would lead into water conflicts in the future. How could a country with much water be facing water problems and what could be the source of these problems? Results show that there are a lot of water problems present in the study area, and all are inter- related to economic, traditional, social, climatic and environmental changes. When these problems persist conflicts take place and these clashes which take place, are centred on two types of natural resource conflicts: intra micro-micro and micro-macro, but are verbal in nature. To address the current situations which are prevalent in the area, are some proposed actions to be taken at a national, municipal and community levels. These could help prepare and help organise a more effective approach to attending to water problems faced and prevent water conflicts. This research will benefit administrators and stakeholders to develop workable strategies that uphold all rights and responsibilities of dwellers in the study area. Key Words: Water Conflict; Water Management; Climate Change; Matata, Matasivaro, Quaia, Suvavou; Viti Levu; Fiji. iv Resumo Considerado o líquido mais precioso do planeta, a água é um recurso natural sem o qual quase todos os organismos vivos deste planeta não podem sobreviver. É o principal motor para todas as atividades sociais e económicas de todas as economias do mundo. Como afirma Blöch (2004), "A água não é apenas um produto comercial, mas um Património e deve ser protegido, defendido e tratado como tal", e isso resume a importância da água no mundo. Mas a água pode também trazer destruição e disputas se for em demasia ou se houver escassez. Disputas pela água surgem normalmente quando há uma falta de acessibilidade aos recursos hídricos. Em alguns países, o consumo de água supera as taxas de reabastecimento natural, facto que conduz à escassez causando tensões e desacordos sobre a utilização dos recursos hídricos. Para muitas nações, o acesso à água potável tornou-se um problema económico, social e de direitos humanos. O objetivo desta pesquisa é estudar a natureza e características dos problemas relacionados com a água entre as comunidades nas ilhas Fiji, com particular destaque para as da áreas de estudo, os assentamentos de Matata, Matasivaro e Quaia e a vila de Suvavou, em Lami, na ilha Viti Levu, e analisar e discutir se esses problemas poderão conduzir a conflitos pela água no futuro. Como pode um país com muita água enfrentar problemas relacionados com este recurso natural e qual poderá ser a fonte desses problemas? Os resultados mostram que há uma série de problemas relacionados com a água presentes na área de estudo, e todos estão inter-relacionados com questões económicas, tradicionais, sociais, alterações climáticas e ambientais. Quando esses problemas persistem, os conflitos ocorrem e esses confrontos que acontecem estão centrados em dois tipos de conflitos pelos recursos naturais: intra micro-micro e micro-macro, mas são de natureza verbal. Para lidar com as situações atuais de disputa pela água predominantes na área de estudo, são propostas algumas ações a serem tomadas a nível nacional, municipal e comunitário. Estas ações poderão ajudar a preparar e organizar uma abordagem mais eficaz para atender a este tipo de problemas enfrentados pela população e evitar conflitos pela água. Esta pesquisa poderá beneficiar os administradores e partes interessadas no desenvolvimento de estratégias viáveis que sustentam todos os direitos e responsabilidades dos habitantes da área de estudo. Palavras-chave: Conflitos pela água; gestão da água; alterações climáticas; Matata, Matasivaro, Quaia, Suvavou; Viti Levu, Fiji. v Acronyms CIA – Central Intelligence Agency CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. DoE - Department of Environment EU- European Union FJD- Fiji Dollars GDP – Gross Domestic Product GIS- Geographical Information System IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IWRM- Integrated Water Resource Management LTC – Lami Town Council LWRM - Land and Water Management Department of Ministry of Agriculture MDG- Millennium Development Goals MRD Minerals Resource Department PICS- Pacific Island Countries SME – Small to Medium enterprises SOPAC- South Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission SPREP - Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme SPSS- Statistical Package for Social Sciences TI – Transparency International TLTB- Taukei Land Trust Board UN- United Nations UNEP- United Nations Environment Program UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNGA- United Nations General Assembly UNHR - United Nations declaration on Human Rights UNICEF- United Nations International Children Education Fund UNPD- United Nations Population Division WAF- Water Authority of Fiji WASH – Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WFD – Water Fiji Directive WHO- World Health Organization WI – Water Integrity WSD- Water and Sewage Department vi Glossary for Vernacular (Fijian Terms) Used I-taukei - Indigenous Fijian Mataqali - clan Turaga ni Koro – village headmen Koro Makawa – old village site vii Table of Contents Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv Resumo v Acronyms vi Glossary for Vernacular (Fijian Terms) Used vii Table of Contents viii List of Figures x List of Tables xi List of Annexes