The seawall at the low-lying areas of Kolovai and ‘Ahau on Western Tongatapu was commissioned on June 26, as part of a development to withstand storm surges and protect communities.

The seawall is part of a coastal protection trial using a mix of hard and soft coastal protection measures in the area.

Parts of ‘Ahau and Kolovai are less than two metres above sea level, rendering properties vulnerable to flooding and coastal erosion caused by sea level rise, storm surge, heavy rain and catastrophic events such as tsunamis and cyclones.

At ‘Ahau the seawall is a coraline rock barrier aimed at reducing storm surge along the shoreline and to allow a mangrove forest to be regenerated between the barrier and the ‘Ahau shoreline.

At Kolovai the seawall is a coraline vertical seawall to protect that community from storm surge. A trial timber groyne along the coastline of Kolovai has been built to reduce the amount of seagrass reaching the shoreline, to help increase the natural settlement and growth of mangroves along the shoreline. 

Minister for MEIDECC Hon Poasi Tei said this seawall would help withstand storm surges, especially during natural disasters.

Mangroves were planted inside the one kilometre seawall, in close collaboration with the people living in these two villages, he said.

This is a project by the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga with funding support from the European Union, Federal Republic of Germany and EU-GIZ Adapting to Climate Change and Sustainable Energy (ACSE), costing EUR$530,000.

The implementing agency was the Climate Change Division of the Ministry of Environment, Energy, Climate Change, Disaster Manager, Information and Communications (MEIDECC). They worked with the Hihifo Coastal Committee, residents in 'Ahau and Kolovai, and GIZ.