By RODRICK DESURI 

AUKI 

Work on Auki town’s new landfill at Gwaigeo in West Kwara’ae, Malaita Province, is progressing well as the project heads towards the completion of its first stage.

The landfill project is supported through the J-Prism (III), a 25-year SPRED-JICA partnership on a waste management project.

A Local Council division, Malaita Provincial government, (SAO) Hazel B Fanai said the J-Prism project will support them through the technical aspects of the project.

She stressed that an environmental specialist from Japan will soon arrive for the planning assessment at Gwaigeo.

“Currently, we are still waiting for an environmental specialist from Japan to do the technical aspects and assessment in the area because they are people with great ideas, knowledge, and skills in doing that work.

“This landfill project is permanent, and the area is swampy and has a riverbank, and we don’t have such specialist people to do the work,” she said.

She stressed that their aim is to speed up the work on site to catch up with the J-Prism project timeframe, which will be closing in 2027.

“This J-Prism project timeframe will be completed in 2027, and our aim is to speed up all work that is needed to catch up with the timeframe,” she said.

However, she emphasized that under the first step of the project, they will find ways to dig, construct a short road, and try to cover all holes before their compactor does its work properly.

She added that only the groundwork is needed at the moment, stressing their fear that it could take them a long time, possibly a month.

She also calls on landowners in and around Auki who need backfilling of their land plots to inform them so they can help with the backfilling.

“I call on any landowner who needs backfilling of his backyard or land to come forward to inform us. We will be glad to help him, and at the same time, support us with the burial of our rubbish,” she said.

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