Unpermitted excavation work continues around the island.
Tisa Faamuli of Alega reports that while the island was being pummeled by destructive waves late last week, heavy equipment belonging to Paramount Builders was excavating a ridge in their village.
KHJ News sent questions to Paramount but there’s been no response.
According to Faamuli, the ridge being dug is not government property—as it’s 20 feet inland.
The excavation took place Friday and Saturday, where the mountainside was dug into to fill the road.
According to Faamuli, coconut trees were cut and dumped by the ocean affecting marine habitat.
When the contractor was approached about the excavation, he apparently said to talk to Public Works.
Faamuli said, she tried to contact DPW but it was closed due to the Manu’a Day holiday.
The 74-year-old Faamuli told KHJ News that many of the matai and elders of her village are living off island and she is the caretaker of Alega.
The Alega Ridge, as the name implies, belongs to the village and has been there for centuries, she said.
“The ridge was cut to put in the road in the early 1900’s.”
Faamuli related that her brothers, who are in their late 60s and early 70’s, worked on the ridge and coconut trees and vegetation. The plants are still there today.
“I, personally, have been to the top of that Ridge several times to identify where Tui Alega is buried, and he sits directly on the top of the Ridge.”
An environmentalist, Faamuli, lamented that the unpermitted excavation causes flooding of highways creating hazards for the traveling public.
“When mountains are disturbed without an experienced machine operator to excavate land, they dump many trees into the ocean, threatening marine life.”
