Officials Prevent Termite Eradication

I took a trip down to the west on Tuesday afternoon and barely missed out on the bus to Lautoka. I had tried really hard to get my Lecturer to send me down to Lautoka to do the termite story so lucky the bus did not go without me
A lot has been said about the termite issue and reporting has only been done on how the BioSecurity Authority of Fiji has been helping the affected residents to rebuild the houses.
After my visit to the affected area of Tavakubu, I now have a fair idea of what the situation on the ground is and the extent of damage that the termites can do.

Termites are often called the "silent destroyer" because they may be secretly hiding and thriving in your basement or yard without any immediate signs of damage. While each termite species thrives in different climates and eats different types of food, all termites require four things to survive — food, moisture, shelter and optimal temperature. Unfortunately, all homes, regardless of their construction type, can provide these ideal conditions for termite infestation

Residents complained on how lazy the workers are and how they demand for special treatment to get the work done and how some of the workers want special treatment.
One resident complained about how workers had asked for a party to celebrate the construction of one art of the house and when the residents did not agree to it, they started to do a lazy job on the rest of the repairs.
The people pay their taxes and they deserve to be able to use the funds to be able to repair their houses as the termite infestation was beyond their control.
The resident said that he had informed the authorities in 2009 about some small funny creatures eating on the ceiling of his house but he said that an official laughed at him saying what harm the small creatures could possibly do, well I bet now they can see the extent of the damage.
The resident apparently spent close to $12 000 on repairs to his home. He also said that apart roofing iron and steel basically eat everything.
He also said there are no regular visits to check on the progress of the affected residents as the termites are coming back.

Termites on a Roll

So it looks like that they are back and once more attacking the timber here in Fiji. This means that households should be careful in case the small creatures come in and eat away the structures of the house. Termites were noticed in large numbers in Western side of country in October last year and they are back for the same month this year.

Termites are small insects which feed on timber and now reveletions are that they are also feeding on plastics, paper and other related products.

Termites in Fiji’s western division are now attacking food sources, something the Operation Kadivuka team dreaded would happen when the termites' food source was disturbed. A family in Buabua had raised concerns that their cassava patch was heavily infested with termites. Mr Ratucicivi said the team visited the area and confirmed that the termites were also attacking food sources for humans.

Biosecurity officials say that they are looking into the issue and trying its best to reduce the termite but it seems that it is not an easy job since they are trying to contain the termites since last year. October is the month when termites come out in swamps and try to look for places to build their colonies. This happened leat October and the relevent authorities should have looked into this and should have had plans in place to contain this issue.

The awareness is being created now, when the termites are already out, what were the Bio security team doing during August and September, this is when they should have been visiting the areas that were affected and providing people with information on how to avoid the termites or on ways to destroy it since the areas that were affected last year are the same years that are affected this year.

What has happened to operation "Kadivuka", the so called operation that was put in place to eradicate the termites. Where has the money gone from the operation? How successful was the operation and what method was used to destroy the termites. Was the operation fully funded to be able to afford the chemicals required to fumigate the houses or was alternatives used which were cheap and obviosly did not do the job.

People who built their houses through hardwork cannot see their houses being taken down by the termites which are small but have created alot of damage. The issue of termites and its eradication should be seriously looked into. proper funding should be alocated and its high time that Bio Security of Fiji think of the long run and not of short term cures to a problem.

Soon the termites will find something esle to feed on apart from timber and those mentionad above and then what will happen. The Saw Millers Association of Fiji should also investigate the standard treatment of timber and if there are illegal saw millers in Fiji that are selling timber that is untreated and this attracts the termites.

Time will only tell if the termites will be fully destroyed. It seems like that the big bosses are so far away from the affected areas that they cannot see the plight of the affected people. It is time to get out of the offices and serve the people.