Fiji’s municipal councils are strengthening their preparedness for managing large volumes of waste following natural disasters through a workshop held in Nadi.

The three-day workshop, conducted by JICA’s J-PRISM3 from July 21 to 23, focused on developing Disaster Waste Management (DWM) Contingency Plans for city and town councils across the country.

The initiative comes as Fiji continues to face cyclones and floods that can generate significant amounts of disaster waste, placing additional pressure on municipal waste management systems.

As part of J-PRISM3 Output 1.3, council representatives worked on draft contingency plans using existing planning materials and draft plans from participating councils, including Lautoka City Council.

Participants also referred to the Pacific Community’s Regional Disaster Waste Management Guideline 2022, along with technical input from the Department of Environment and the National Disaster Management Office.

Before the workshop, JICA’s expert team conducted preparatory work with participating councils in the Western Division. This included field assessments and the collection of relevant waste management information to support the preparation of the plans.

The workshop also provided practical training in the use of Kobo Toolbox for real-time data collection and report generation during rapid disaster waste assessments.

Participants created their own accounts and explored how the platform could be used to record incoming waste by type and volume, particularly at landfill sites without weighbridges.

On the final day, each council presented its draft contingency plan. The presentations allowed participants to compare approaches, discuss common challenges and share lessons from their respective areas.

A total of 24 people attended, including 22 representatives from city and town councils, the Ministry of Local Government, the National Disaster Management Office, and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.

J-PRISM3 will provide further technical assistance to help councils finalise their draft plans. The final plans will be developed in line with each council’s capacity and responsibilities, national priorities and the planning processes and guidance of the National Disaster Management Office.

The programme is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government, National Disaster Management Office, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Fiji’s city and town councils, and the Pacific Community.