Transcript
FLORENCE SYME-BUCHANAN: What has been achieved so far is upgrading the sanitation system of residential homes, private residential homes in the lagoon protection zone along the coastal area of Rarotonga, what still has to happen is for the commercial properties to get compliant as well. This has become even more of a concern now that the algae that was present in Muri Lagoon, which was an iconic spot for Rarotonga, is now beginning to spread to the rest of the island and now it's become even more pressing that something is done to get the rest of the commercial properties compliant as well. In fact, Dr Charles Waters, who is in the Cook Islands doing coral replanting in Aitutaki lagoon, has said Rarotonga has possibly two years, if even that, to save Muri Lagoon.
DON WISEMAN: In terms of the improvements that have been made, they're taking what have become substandard septic tanks and putting in better septic tanks.
FS-B: Yes better septic tanks for the private homes that process the grey water and prevent it from leaking out into the lagoon. What has yet to happen as I said, is for the commercial properties to get compliant as well. For instance, along the Muri foreshore protection zone, there are 57 businesses, 98 percent of them are not compliant and they did have until this year, April this year, to get themselves compliant, after being given two years to do that by the department of public health but for some reason only known to Public Health themselves, these properties have been given another two years to become compliant.
DW: These efforts to improve sewerage and water supply, they actually have been going on for quite a long time haven't they, I think there's quite a lot of money that's been allocated many millions of dollars, I guess a fair wack of that is yet to be spent, the government has recognised hasn't it that the system needs to be turned around and it's got a new plan.
FS-B: Absolutely, I mean, study after study after study has been done. ADB has recommended that high tourism zones such as Muri Lagoon and outlying villages need is a reticulation system and this was suggested over ten years ago but no movement has been done on that instead there hae been various studies done individually by departments and the financial secretary has said that what they've come to realise is departments are working individually rather than cohesively as one unit. They're doing their own studies and pretty much their own thing which has made a lot of the studies they've done, and a lot of the work they've done, so he says, of no real value.
DW: So the financial secretary Garth Henderson, what's he recommending now?
FC-B: Well he's recommending yet another study to be done, this is not going to be a quick process, remembering what Dr Waters said, we only have two years, if even that, there's been some real concerns expressed, is this study going to be done in time for something to happen in Muri. But given talk of all these studies of reticulation systems, the local people in the village itself who fish in the lagoon, who know the tides, who know the movements of the water, and have grown up in the area, are saying for goodness sake, the first step must be to free up the natural channels in the actual reef itself that have been blocked up over the years by cyclones, they're blocked up by boulders and what they're saying is drastic action needs to be taken to free up these natural waterways that allow the flushing of the lagoon. That could through blasting them but drastic action that needs to be taken only once and then the lagoon can begin flushing as it used to before, because it's silting up right now.
