Officials purge dingy side of Garapan
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Posted on Nov 26 1998
Amid criticisms on the government’s neglect in the unsanitary condition of the Ginza area, tourism and environment officials began the clean-up of the island’s commercial district.
For five years now, the row of restaurants and hotels in Garapan otherwise known as the Ginza area, has been beset with the problem of clogged drainage due to improper disposal of garbage.
“After a heavy downpour, the area becomes flooded surrounded by a filthy smell,” said Martin Castro, acting director of the Coastal Resources Management.
The problem was partly due to the failure of owners of some of the establishments to have their own waste water disposal system or get sewerline connection with the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. At the same time, the canals are covered for easy access, thus, clogging the drainage system.
According to Castro, an inter-agency meeting must be held to draw up plans for the long-term solution in maintaining the cleanliness of the commercial district. Three agencies — Marianas Visitors Authority, Division of Environmental Quality and CRM — are responsible for the ongoing clean up.
At the same time, the agencies must meet with the owners of establishment so that they can be part of the cleanliness campaign. “We should not be the only ones involved in solving this problem. What we’re doing right now is just providing temporary solution,” Castro added.
He said the Division of Public Lands must also impose certain conditions to people who are currently leasing the property to make sure that the area covered by the establishment is properly maintained.
Likewise, Felix M. Sablan, field operations manager of MVA, believes that the problem must be resolved by various agencies and not handled by the tourism office alone.
Last week, the MVA carried out a clean up of the beach road pathway which has been also littered with garbage since it has become a popular picnic site.
Due to limited budget, the MVA has shelved its plan to acquire a beach cleaning machine. Instead, the authority will just mobilize its workforce to carry out the clean up of all the beaches.
