Flooding frustrations at Moamoa

By Vatapuia Maiava 13 March 2016, 12:00AM

Every time there is heavy rain in Samoa, the ford at Moamoa is flooded. And over the years, it has become a constant source of frustration for residents in the area.

The ford is located on the only road connecting the village and the rest of Samoa making crossing it a must, but when it overflows then it becomes a safety risk. The ford has been around for years with the same problem yet nothing has been done about it especially with key schools in the area such as Chanel College and the Catholic Theological College.

Traffic congestion around the ford from drivers fearing their safety and refusing to cross is a common sight whenever it rains. Maanaima Aloali’i, a Pastor who resides at Moamoa, is frustrated by this common occurrence.

“They should have built a proper bridge long time ago because this happens every time we have heavy rain in the country,” Mr. Aloali’i said. “People try to get to work and children have to get to school but when it rains everyone will be late because they have to wait for the current to die down.” The overflowing ford has proved to be a headache for Moamoa for many years now

“It blocks everyone and it’s a real headache… especially when people try to get home after a long day of work and they have to deal with the overflowing ford blocking them from their homes,” Mr. Aloali’i said. “The water current is strong which is very dangerous for everyone. This morning there was a long line of cars waiting for the current to die down”

There have been many people moving from Apia to Moamoa which gives more reason for the government to do something about this issue “Moamoa is a place of new settlements now and we have people who used to live downtown moving up to Moamoa,” Mr. Aloali’i said.

“This increases the population of the village so now you can see that many more people will have to suffer and the only solution is to build a proper bridge just like in Sinamoga.”

By Vatapuia Maiava 13 March 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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