OIA federal capital improvement project coordinator Keith Aughenbaugh, in an interview yesterday, said the project will get a portion of the CNMI’s $11,330,000 in CIP funding for FY 2009.
Aughenbaugh cannot tell how much exactly will be allotted for the sewer project, but added that it’s going to be over a million dollars.
The initial funding for the project was $1.7 million, but since it has yet to be implemented, the Fitial administration requested OIA to reprogram the funds for the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation’s power plant.
OIA approved the governor’s request which also included the reprogramming of the federal funds for the Tinian and Rota wastewater projects.
There is no wastewater treatment facility in Kagman where the population is expected to reach 10,000 this year.
Every household is required to have their own leaching field for septic tanks. But once this leaching field is filled, the wastewater goes underground.
A survey showed that 30 percent of the 458 respondents in Kagman reported that at least one person in their households had a chronic illness and over 61 percent of the household respondents admitted not getting regular medical care for their chronic illness due to financial and transportation problems.
