Signing Ceremony for “The Project for Procuring Garbage Trucks” in Kitti and Sokehs Municipality, Pohnpei State

On February 10, 2015, The Government of Japan awarded two grants to the governments of Kitti and Sokehs municipalities in Pohnpei at the Embassy of Japan in the FSM. Both grants came from Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects in the amounts of 77,241 USD and 35,441 USD respectively.

Through this grant, Kitti Municipal Government will be issued a refurbished compacting vehicle that will collect trash in the Kitti villages. Kitti being the largest municipality in Pohnpei, the houses scattered with quite distance between one another have proved quite a challenge with maintaining solid waste management. In addition, Kitti holds the most rivers and thickest mangrove forest which also adds to the increase of littering and insanitation around the area. With the assistance of this vehicle, Kitti Government would start providing weekly trash collection and disposal from residential communities all over Kitti.

For Sokehs Municipal Government, the grant will provide one refurbished compacting solid waste collection vehicle plus one collection dump truck. According to FSM Census, Sokehs Municipal carries the most population of the 5 municipalities in Pohnpei. In the past, the Sokehs authority utilized a dump truck to pick up trash around the villages but with such a large area to cover, the truck’s capabilities could not be maintained.

It is the high hopes of all parties concerned that these projects will further improve the management of solid waste in the villages and result in a cleaner environment.

In the ceremony, the grants were signed over by Mr. Shingo Higashimoto, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Japan to the FSM and accepted by Mr. Michael Lieman, Chief Magistrate of Sokehs Municipal Government and Mr. Tony Sarapio, Mayor of Kitti Municipal Government, respectively. The ceremony was witnessed by staff from the municipal governments and the Embassy.