2 Feb 2012

Fiji Met Service says debris problems will continue as heavy rain falls until next week

2:27 pm on 2 February 2012

The Fiji Meteorological Service says the debris and sludge that has blocked waterways and inundated the countryside will continue to cause problems as heavy rain persists.

A 26-year old man died this week when he was reportedly bathing in a river and was caught in debris and drowned, bringing the death toll of recent flooding to seven.

Meteorologist Terry Ataoifo says the western parts of Viti Levu are most at risk of flooding, however he is not ruling out the rest of the country.

"Our only concern is an active convergence zone sitting right over the [Fiji] group. We expect these rainy conditions to continue for the next few days. This place has already been bombarded by rain for the last few days and flooding is also a concern for us. There is a high chance low-lying areas will be flooded. As long as the rain continues to fall there will still be a problem with the debris scattered all over the place."

Terry Ataoifo says heavy rain will continue to fall throughout the week, and will ease in the early part of next week.