Most of the trash drums and trash cans that were placed in public parks and in boat anchorage areas have either been stolen or damaged beyond functional use and the result can be seen in those places every day, particularly on weekends and in the mornings after some holidays. There would be empty food packages, used plastic bags, and discarded beer cans and bottles, many of them broken, strewn all over these public parks and boat anchorages. Making these public places look even worst, the sea waters surrounding them are littered with bottle and can containers of all kinds, many of them appear to have been there for some years. Many of these trashes, especially beer bottles and beer cans, have also traveled great distances to pollute areas, especially coral heads and reef formations, away from where they were first disposed. These trashes are killing the corals in the surrounding areas, and what were once rich havens for reef fishes and many kinds of shell fishes are now only empty, desolated dead rock bottoms.
Many of the public parks and boat anchorages in Koror are favorite picnic and swimming spots for our young people. Places such as the T-Dock area, the Long Island on the way to Malakal and the Old Skoki Ramp at Meyuns are usually filled with swimming youngsters most days of the week. These places were designed especially for young people and they should not be taken away from them. Pieces of glasses from broken beer bottles and all manners of trashes (Used and discarded baby bumpers, left-over food etc.) pose real dangers to the young people who enjoy frolicking and swimming in these areas and are causes for deep disappointments to adults who used to fish in these waters.
The Koror State Government used to have young men (We believe they were called rangers) who cleaned the waters along our extended causeways (Koror to Meyuns, Koror to Malakal, and Koror to K-B Bridge) and along the jetties to boat anchorages such as T-Dock, M-Dock, and the Ngerbeched dock. The Koror Rangers also visited and cleaned the rock islands that are frequented by local people and tourists from abroad. We hope this very important and useful organization still exists today and that the members would continue to perform their very important works for Koror and the country.
We also hope our National Police Force would initiate frequent patrols to all public parks and anchorage areas so that these places may not be used frequently as drinking spots for people who do not want or unableto visit legitimate drinking places. Such patrols could also prevent under-aged youngsters from illegally consuming alcoholic drinks. Many of the troubles that cause bodily injuries, including destruction and damage to properties and the car smashes that occur during early morning hours have their origins in these illegal drinking places. Frequent Police patrols to these areas may reduce, if not eliminate altogether, all of these problems and would make the country peaceful and safe for all of us.
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