Fiji has been warned that one in three of its urban dwellers will live in slums within 30 years.
The Fiji Tmes says the warning has been issued by the president of the Fiji Association of Architects, Jon Orton.
Mr Orton says those who live on subsistence diets will be even worse off if no immediate action is taken to address the housing shortage in urban centres.
He says Fiji is not alone in experiencing water shortages, a litter problem and scarcity of housing as around the world one out of every three urban dwellers already live in slums.
Mr Orton says unless Fiji's municipalities and government enact policies that allow urban growth to be managed sustainably, the same proportion of urban dwellers will be living in slums.
He warns that unplanned and concentrated growth would lead to many rivers and streams becoming contaminated with untreated sewage and a rise in waterborne diseases which will greatly affect the poor.
Mr Orton says contaminated river discharge will decimate the already stressed ecology of fringing coral reefs and polluted beaches will become less attractive to tourists.
He says this scenario need not come to pass if everyone - government, private sector and the public - takes responsibility for their impact on the environment.
