Alleged defects had been spotted and photographed in the new building designed to provide early emergency warnings and information to minimise potential natural hazards in Neiafu.
Photos seen by Kaniva News appeared to show the floor tiles of the conference room inside the Vava‘u Emergency Coordination Centre to be warped and raised.
There is concern that hidden defects deep within the floor may not be easily visible.
There has also been a report of alleged leaks in the roof.
The Neiafu Town Officer, Vāvā Lapota, told Kaniva News that he had been advised during a visit to the centre to exercise caution when walking near the buckled tiles due to potential safety hazards.
Lapota claimed that he was also told that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources staff office inside the centre was considering moving from its current location to the Maama Mo’onia hall due to worries about the alleged damage possibly worsening.
The Minister of MEIDEC was contacted for comment.
We asked Minister Fekita ‘Utoikamanu whether she knew about the alleged defects.
We also asked whether she thought these alleged defects occurred too soon, considering the centre has only been open for three years.
We also asked if she knew of the Centre’s staff’s concerns about the alleged worsening damage.
The more than half a square kilometre Centre was intended for the government’s Meteorological Department and the National Emergency Management Office to provide early warnings and help the public prepare for emergencies.
The centre was furnished with office equipment worth TOP$ 152,411.14 and was opened by King Tupou VI in 2021.
It was designed to be further developed to assume responsibility in the event of failure or partial failure of the Fua’amotu Warning Centre or the NEMO.
The TOP$1,952,303.04 facility was co-funded by the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) through the Japan-Bank Program for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management and the Government of Tonga. The construction was implemented under the Pacific Resilience Programme (PREP).
