No empty seats at Infrastructure Forum

The Cook Islands Infrastructure Committee is so determined to clean up Rarotonga that it scheduled a pre-forum workshop ahead of next week’s Infrastructure Sector Forum.
The fact that every chair was full at today’s (Friday) workshop at the New Hope Church hall was an indication that a significant number of people on the island also have waste and sanitation at the top of their agendas.
“Waste and sanitation need to be given more priority,” said Elizabeth Wright-Koteka, the director of Government’s Central Policy and Planning arm and one of the workshop’s organizers.
“We need a better approach to decide what needs to be done to address these issues. We need to work more efficiently to fix these problems.”
According to a press release, the Infrastructure Sector Forum, scheduled for July 27-29 at the New Hope Church hall, will present an opportunity to develop “a more coordinated approach to infrastructure development in the Cook Islands”.
The goal of the forum is to “provide an overreaching framework for planning and the coordination of the delivery of infrastructure development by government, private sector and development partners”.
The disposal of solid waste and liquid waste (sanitation) was deemed so crucial to that infrastructure development that it was decided a pre-forum workshop was warranted in an effort concentrate everyone’s focus solely on those problems and possible solutions.
The objectives of Friday’s workshop included identifying a way forward in dealing with waste and sanitation, as well as identifying how that implementation will take place and who will lead the way.
The workshop, which was open to the public, was attended by key Government agencies and private sector companies that work in the areas of waste and sanitation, as well as concerned private citizens.
The findings from this workshop will be taken to next week’s forum for endorsement from a wider group of stakeholders.
“Within the next five years, we want to have a cleaner island, a cleaner lagoon and a cleaner ocean,” said Wright-Koteka.

By John Ireland

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