Overview:
CIP has clarified information published about the damaged sewage pipeline in Malakal, saying the pipe was not beneath the Minatobashi Bridge and that the bridge construction was not linked to the damage. PPUC said the pipeline was repaired July 30 and the swimming and water-activity ban in the affected area has been lifted.
By: L.N. Reklai
KOROR, Palau (August 6, 2026)— The Office of Capital Infrastructure Projects, which oversees the implementation of public infrastructure projects, has clarified information published in the July 31, 2026, edition of Island Times regarding a damaged sewage pipeline in Malakal.
The CIP said the article, titled “Broken Sewage Pipeline Beneath Minatobashi Bridge Prompts Swimming Ban in Malakal,” contained incorrect information about the location and cause of the damage.
According to CIP, the damaged sewage pipe is not located beneath the Minatobashi Bridge. Instead, it is located beneath one of the culverts.
CIP also disputed a statement attributed to PPUC CEO Frank Kyota that the sewage pipe “was accidentally broken during the construction work on the new Minatobashi bridge.”
The CIP office said that characterization is misleading and emphasized that construction of the Minatobashi Bridge is not associated with the damage to the sewage pipeline.
According to PPUC, the damaged sewage pipeline was repaired July 30, and the ban on swimming and other water activities in the affected area has since been lifted.