abandoned for all practical purposes. In the recent past such a funeral function would have drawn a very large number of outboard motor boats, with mourners from all over Palau, to Ngiwal and the state’s entire beach front would have been crowded with boats. The situation last weekend was completely different. There was not a single boat anchored either at the ruined jetty or on the beach fronting the entire state.
Hundreds of relatives attended the Ngiwal funeral and, yes, they came from all over Palau. But not a single one came by boat because everyone arrived at Ngiwal on land vehicles via the Compact Road. The Compact Road and the high prices of fuel, gasoline for outboard motor boats, have changed the mode of transportation in the Republic. Earlier the people on Babeldaob placed very high premiums on boat jetties, both the wooden structures and those constructed of coral heads, which connected them to other parts of the country. These structures have lost their usefulness, and many people consider them now as nuisances that should be removed.
The boat jetties in Melekeok, Ngchesar, Ngersuul, and the one at Mantekang at Meyuns and some others on Babeldaob are now in various stages of deterioration and most have been abandoned. These structures were constructed many years ago of sea stones and coral pebbles. They have historical and cultural significances for the states they are located in and should not be destroyed wholesale. We hope the political and traditional leaders of the states wherein they are located would devise appropriate methods to deal with these “old treasures”, which served us well in the past.
The entire Babeldaob Compact Road system meanders through the land areas that collect and retain the rainwaters that feed all the major rivers and streams on Babeldaob. These watersheds are among our most precious resources and they must be protected today for our own use and for future generations.
The National Government, in consultation with the state governments on Babeldaob, should develop plans and strategies to protect these water resources. There should be a law prohibiting unauthorized cutting and harvesting of timbers that are located in watershed areas. Each state should designate areas in their territory that could be developed as housing and farming areas so that uncontrolled deforestation may not occur anywhere on Babeldaob.
The thick green forests of Babeldaob are also home to many animals, birds, and plant species, many of which are endemic to Palau. These must be protected because without them, Palau would eventually become a bare, deserted rock in the middle of the ocean that no one would like to live on. The pigeons and the fruit bats that are the main carriers of seeds that keep our forests going are fast disappearing. Deforestation would drive home the final nails on their collective coffin. Finally, the Compact Road must not become an open garbage dump. We have noticed a number of household trashes lying on some spots on the Compact Road. That must stop.
