A few issues were on our minds, just before yearend, one of them was the verdict from December 13th, 2023, regarding the RWZI, the Bubali gray water plant. The other raging polemic revolved around the beach palapas, an issue raised by a guest who protested the way his hotel was handling shade on the beach.
Regarding the RWZI stink, this has been going on for 20 years and according to my sources DOW has been spending more than 1M a year on chemicals that mask the smell, and just making the absolutely necessary repairs to the plant.
In the first quarter of 2024, our parliament will finally be presented with the law draft for the much-anticipated privatized RWZI — the new incarnation of the water plant.
Then when the law is approved, Utilities, the government entity assigned to spearhead the project, will hopefully order the machinery required for a new setup, with appropriate chemical coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection – according to Wikipedia.
The hotels have been asking DOW to place the new plant a bit nearer to the ocean, so that if a breakdown occurs and the plant smells again to high heaven, the winds will carry the odors to sea.
It will take about three years to get the new setup running. Sorry, I have no good news today. And it will still be a government entity, sort-off privatized.
As for the verdict. The verdict agreed that Amsterdam Manor is entitled to damages for over 20 years of flies and foul smells, and that amount must still be calculated.
What do you think? It will be a BIG number, I am sure, they collected ample proof for decades.
Also, perhaps, based on the verdict, all other resorts suffering from GOA’s laissez-faire attitude may sue, for the shoddy quality of their access roads, lack of beach maintenance, whatever. The verdict may serve as a legal precent and GOA will perhaps be more motivated now, to remedy unfortunate situations, faster.
I am not a legal expert, I will leave that legalese to attorney Lincoln Gomez, but it seems to me that this is a breakthrough verdict, and it will propel GOA to action.
As for the beach palapas, according to my most reliable source what was reported online, wasn’t the accurate story. While it is true that during week 51 and 52, most resorts suffer from a shortage of palapas and beach lounges, the irritated visitor quoted in the online publication, demanded a palapa when all were occupied. Security informed him accordingly, since the resort was running at 98%, in peak season, however, the guest insisted on claiming a palapa whose occupant went to the restroom, temporarily vacating her spot.
The resort General Manager, Costa Linda, explains that first come, first served, every morning, but if a palapa is abandoned for more than two hours, security grants it to the next in line. But if a beach goer heads to the bathroom, that doesn’t merit eviction.
And palapas are free, at that resort. Those on the resort’s grounds can only be used by guests, those on the beach, for which no precario is paid, are available to the public.
This issue wakes up full force at the end of the year, so chances are we won’t hear anything else about palapas, until next December.
There was also another odd news item that drew my attention, guests spritzing water on passing cars, on Malmok. For the life of me, I couldn’t conjure up the reason why would that be happening. I tried to speak to the guests, but they did not want to defend their alleged conduct and did not want to speak to the ‘press.’
