Flash flooding in Fiji's town of Nadi yesterday prompted school closures after the bus station was inundated with water.
The head of the Nadi Basin Catchment Committee, Bryan Watson, says the area was under 35 centimetres of rain.
He says a large panel of plywood was blocking a major outlet which prevented the area from draining properly.
Mr Watson says a new drain is being built and a team of five people from Japan is currently in Nadi assessing the basin area and looking at a possible canal project that will divert floodwaters.
"It's well below sea level and all the drainage from the hospital comes down the hill and congregates in the actual bus area and then those two drains, if there is any way that they are blocked then it causes a little bit of flash flooding in the town."
The head of the Nadi Basin Catchment Committee, Bryan Watson.
The Fiji Times reports part of the Sigatoka Valley Road, about 75 kilometres from Sigatoka, has been closed after a large culvert was washed away by heavy rain.