With the U.N.’s Small Islands Developing States conference a few months away, a stink in the middle of Apia has raised eyebrows.
Five months to go till the country’s biggest event is held – and parts of the capital, Apia, still smell like a sewer.
In the past, complaints have come from around the fish market and next to the Development Bank building.
Now it’s the turn of shopkeepers at the National Provident Fund Plaza. Employees working at one of the S.N.P.F. tenants, Pacific Jewell Shop, said they are left feeling sick from the smell coming from what they believe to be a septic tank.
The worst part of it is that the tank seems to be right in front of their shop.
Fofoa Tufuga said they have been suffering for so long.
“It smells really bad because it is right in front of the shop,” she said.
“It’s all right when the door is closed but once we have customers coming in, and the door opens, that’s when it really hits us, and the smell will stay inside the shop.”
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Ms. Tufuga also stated that the owner of the Pacific Jewell Shop had already contacted the S.N.P.F. about the issue.
“Our boss complained to the S.N.P.F. twice and they fixed it but now it’s gone back to the same thing again, and we are tired of having to spend eight hours a day smelling this awful smell.
“This problem has also affected the shop, because we have tourists who come in the shop and they also complain to us about it, but all we can tell them is that we have already put a complaint to the people who look after the building.
“It’s bad, and it gives us headaches. I just hope that they can take this somewhere else to where it’s not close to the public.”
Other sources said the smell was coming from a grease trap for the Plaza’s food businesses. This could not be confirmed.
But one shopper, Iosia Manuleleua from Vaimoso, sympathised with the shop keepers over the awful stink.
“I come here often to do my shopping at Frankie’s at Molesi and every time I come across this bad smell,” he said. “It’s very unhealthy.
“Whoever is responsible for looking after the building should really look into this, because we have events that are happening in the future like the S.I.D.S. Conference and it would be very embarrassing to have tourists walking around here holding their noses because of this.
“We have to fix this to make sure that this issue will not go on until that time,” he said. The Samoa Observer contacted the S.N.P.F.
to seek comment but the operator said spokesperson, Tagaloa Uili Matafeo is not working.
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