MOVER resumes cleanup around Susupe Lake

Braving occasional rainshowers, volunteers from non-profit group MOVER yesterday went ahead with its cleanup of the illegal dumpsite on the road leading to Susupe Lake, only to discover that some of the garbage had just recently been disposed improperly of at the site.

MOVER president Jun Lapeceros said some of the trash at the site were not seen in the previous Sundays that MOVER went on cleaning up the dumping site by the roadside of Hagoi Drive. Yesterday’s cleanup became MOVER’s fifth consecutive Sunday to work on the cleanup project.

“Some garbage were just recently thrown to the site. Some of them were not seen at the site in the past weeks,” Lapeceros said.

No anti-littering sign could be seen at the site. The dumping of trash at the site continued despite the efforts of MOVER, the members of which have made themselves visible at the area where they pick up assorted garbage and pile them for hauling by the Saipan Mayor’s Office.

MOVER packed 35 bags of household trash. According to Lapeceros, the wastes also included used appliances, such as refrigerator and television set, metals, and used tires.

Some 35 volunteers, including children, braved intermittent rainfall to proceed with the cleanup project. The other Sunday, some 36 volunteers joined the weekly activity.

The staff of Mayor Juan Borja Tudela hauled some 40 bags of trash and green wastes from the roadside that Sunday, according to Lapeceros.

He urged volunteers from other non-profit groups to augment MOVER’s volunteers, saying that the volume of trash at the dumping site turned out to be greater than expected.

Originally, the group had planned on devoting eight consecutive Sundays to complete the project, which involves cleaning up stormwater drainages and dumping sites on Hagoi Drive—from the intersection of Texas Road to the end of the road near the lake—and the Tun Joaquin Road in Chalan Kanoa. Lapecreos said the project might be extended to 10 Sundays.

MOVER thanked House Speaker Oscar Babauta and Vice Speaker Jesus Lizama for donating food and refreshments to the volunteers in two Sundays ago. The group also thanked former Environmental Interagency Cleanup Operation Team chairman Benny Pangelinan for supporting the project.

Mobil Oil Mariana Islands, Inc. provided MOVER with a $5,000-grant to support the project. In the past, Mobil also funded MOVER’s projects involving the cleanup of stormwater drainages along Saipan’s western shores.