SUVA, Fiji — On a narrow strip of coral sand where the lagoon meets the open ocean, workers lower a two-ton concrete block into place as the tide begins to rise. The block is one of thousands being set along a new sea wall meant to protect a coastal community of about 3,000 people from flooding during the region’s king tides, the highest tides of the year.
The project is part of a regional effort, coordinated by the Pacific Coastal Resilience Fund, to complete about 12 miles of sea walls, raised causeways and reinforced shorelines across Fiji, Tuvalu and Kiribati before the next peak tide season begins early next year.
“Every year the water comes a little closer to the houses,” said Mere Raduva, the fund’s regional director. “We are not trying to stop the ocean. We are trying to buy time and keep families safe while longer-term plans take shape.”
Mixing concrete and coral
Engineers say the approach combines traditional hard defenses with nature-based solutions. Along some stretches, concrete walls protect roads, schools and fuel depots. Along others, crews are planting mangroves, restoring coral reefs and rebuilding sand dunes that absorb wave energy.
- Coastline protected: about 12 miles across three countries
- Budget: roughly $210 million, mostly from international climate grants
- Mangrove seedlings planted: more than 180,000
- Residents directly protected: an estimated 46,000
Protecting fresh water is a central concern. On low-lying atolls, communities rely on thin underground layers of rainwater that float above saltwater. When waves wash over land, seawater can contaminate those supplies for months, damaging crops and drinking water.
Hard choices about the future
Officials acknowledge that sea walls alone cannot protect every community indefinitely. Some villages are discussing moving homes and public buildings to higher ground, a process that involves land ownership, cultural ties and difficult conversations between generations.
Our grandparents are buried here. Our church is here. If we move, we want to move together and on our own terms, not because a storm made the decision for us.
Tevita Lomani, village elder and member of a local planning committee
Some engineers have questioned whether certain walls are being built in the right places. Ana Kaufusi, a coastal scientist at the South Pacific Ocean Research Center in Apia, said poorly designed walls can push wave energy onto neighboring beaches, worsening erosion nearby. She urged governments to model each site carefully and pair walls with natural buffers wherever possible.
“A wall can protect one village and quietly harm the next one down the coast,” she said. “Good planning looks at the whole shoreline, not just the stretch in front of you.” Fund officials said every project undergoes coastal modeling and community consultation, and that designs have been adjusted in several places based on local feedback. They also noted that maintenance budgets are built into each grant so structures are not left to deteriorate.
Labor shortages and shipping delays have slowed some work. Concrete, steel and heavy equipment must be shipped long distances, and crews have to schedule construction around tides and weather. In Tuvalu, workers are operating in shifts timed to low tide, sometimes starting before dawn.
Despite the pressure, residents along the newly finished sections say they already feel a difference. During a smaller high tide last month, water that once reached the doors of a primary school stopped at the base of the new wall. “The children watched the waves hit and fall back,” said Salote Nuku, a teacher. “For the first time in years, they were laughing at the ocean instead of being afraid of it.”
