Climate change impact assessment on drainage networks and infrastructures in Central Fiji has commenced with the recent signing of a tender agreement with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.
Under the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Project Fiji, the Secretariat of the Regional Environment 
Programme with the Fiji Government's Land and Water Resources Division awarded the tender to NIWA and partners to carry out an impact assessment on drainage networks an Climate change impact assessment on drainage networks and infrastructures socioeconomic vulnerability and adaptation assessment.
The USD$250,000 contract was evaluated under the SPREP Tender Process. Stakeholders and senior government officials witnessed the signing on June 29th 2011 at the Ministry of Primary Industries Headquarters in Suva.
The climate change assessment is expected to develop an understanding of the underlying causes of community vulnerability and establish the relative significance of rainfall, inundation and other climate risk-related vulnerability within this wider community vulnerability context.
Director of Land Water and Resource Management Division Lakshman Mudaliar said, "Current drainage infrastructures are not adequate to cope with the future rainfall regime and sea level rise due to climate change effects thus posing serious threat to agricultural production and productivity.
"That is why the project activities will be undertaking assessment of the impacts of climate change on the drainage network as well as develop guidelines that include drainage specifications that take into account current and future rainfall regimes," he added.
"The maintenance, rehabilitation and where necessary developing or building new drainage schemes with a pre-determined recurrence interval of a storm event will also be looked at thoroughly."
Doug Ramsay of NIWA says results will be used to assess how climate change impacts on drainage and flooding in areas like the Rewa region.
"Our findings will help us to develop options for these areas, for example the changing of drainage networks, the use of floodgates, stop banks and even changing of agricultural practices.
"The ultimate goal here is to develop new drainage design guidelines."
Kosi Latu the Acting Director SPREP indicated that this assessment is one of its kind in the Pacific and results obtained would provide valuable lessons to other countries in the Pacific and beyond.
Works have already begun with the first inception report due in the next three weeks and the final report due in six months time.