The Government is moving to fix the drainage and footpaths at flood-prone Taufusi by allocating $2.3million for the project.

The money was approved when Parliament passed the supplementary budget for 2019/2020 last week.

The project initiated by the Land Transport Authority targets an area due with a history of flooding affecting businesses and residents in the area.

The $2.3 million additional expenditure estimate was approved by the Finance and Expenditure Committee in the supplementary budget for 2019/2020.

In the report, the Committee questioned the Authority regarding access roads in rural areas.

In response, L.T.A. said one of the main challenges faced by the authority is money to fund the never-ending requests from villages and Members of Parliament to reconstruct access roads.

The drainage problem in Taufusi and some areas of Fugalei has forced some businesses to raise the ground floor of their buildings to avoid damages from flooding.

One of the clothing businesses in Taufusi had previously told the Samoa Observer that even their insurance company could not pay for the ongoing damages during flooding.

Speaking in Parliament this week, the Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Papali’I Niko Lee Hang, said L.T.A. is carefully looking into specifications for works at Taufusi.

He was responding to concerns over specifications for roadwork being set by the L.T.A.

Member of Parliament for Gagaemauga No. 3, La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao, called to raise the specs for the works to ensure the roads will last longer.

He proposed that perhaps using asphalt tar that is used from Malifa to Saiga roads is better so that the roads last longer even if its costly.

Papali’i noted the concerns saying the L.T.A. is making a proposal to the World Bank so that the asphalt can also be used for road works from Vaitele to Faleolo.