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Assessment of the Local Traditional Knowledge and Practices of Flood Risk Identification Techniques: A Case Study of Nadaro Village, Tailevu, Fiji

2023; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/978-3-031-26143-5_7

2196-4106

Sakul Kundra, Unaisi Nabobo‐Baba, Nakul Kundra, Margaret Gabriel, Mohammad Afsar Alam, Sereima Takiveikata, Katarina Toga,

Tropical and Extratropical Cyclones Research

Fiji is a small island developing state (SIDS) in the South Pacific Ocean, which is vulnerable to the increasing frequency and intensity of climate change disasters like cyclones, storm surges, and floods. The major floods in Fiji occurred in 1999, 2009, and 2012. Rising flood events in Fiji's villages pressurize and continuously test the traditional local/indigenous knowledge of community resilience. There exists a lacuna in the current literature about indigenous knowledge of flood identification techniques adopted by Fiji's indigenous communities. The study attempts to ascertain the traditional understanding of flood risk identification of an indigenous Fijian (iTaukei) village named Nadaro, Tailevu, Fiji, which is prone to floods. The study examines the traditional and spiritual resilience and sustainable lifestyle strategies adopted by the villagers before, during, and after repeated floods. It also surveys the sociocultural values that indigenous communities continue to practice as a sustainable resilience measure to counter floods. For this chapter, qualitative research is conducted by undertaking a survey, followed by observations and follow-up interviews with a total of ten (females, heads of families) participants in the village. The fieldwork for the study was carried out from June to September 2022. The study follows Talanoa's (narrative) research methodology and explores the traditional/local knowledge of floods. The observations provide a lot of traditional, untapped knowledge about flood prevention measures, early flood identification, and cultural–religious beliefs followed by the sample village.