Choiseul Provincial Government ‘s is facing significant delays and mounting costs to develop its new township at Choiseul Bay due to ongoing discovery of unexploded ordnance (UXO), a dangerous legacy of World War II.
The situation has been brought into sharp focus following the recent discovery of UXO last week on newly cleared land by contracted workers.
This is just the latest in a series of discovery that have hampered land clearance, tree felling, and landscaping over the past months.
Isaac Lekelau, the Choiseul Province New Township Project Manager, emphasized the seriousness of the challenge in an interview, stressing that the findings are inevitably slowing down the pace of work.
“The Choiseul Provincial government treats this as an urgent task to consider now by the national government and countries who came and fought in the Solomon Islands during WWII,” Lekelau told the Solomon Star in an interview on Monday.
The Project Manager indicated that a comprehensive survey of the new township site is now considered “critical and urgent.”
“Otherwise, it will slow down the pace of clearance and render the exercise expensive for the Province,” he added.
To address the immediate danger and long-term challenge, Lekelau called for rapid action on a new regulatory framework.
“The recent consultations for a new UXO policy and consequent legislation must be fast-tracked to accommodate this challenge faced by Choiseul Province and the country,” he urged.
The province is pushing for decisive action from the national level to mitigate the risk and cost associated with UXO, ensuring the new township project can move forward safely and efficiently.
By ULUTAH GINA
Solomon Star Gizo
Photo caption: EOD RSIPF team removing some of the UXO bombs in Choiseul Province several months ago. Photo Supplied.
