Power generation is not the only problem—Muna

Although power generation remains a major concern for the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., there are other areas that need to be addressed, said CUC executive director Antonio Muña.

“We focus on power generation because that’s where the lightning rod of attention is focused,” he said. “When the power goes out, it immediately impacts thousands of homes, thousands of people…here on Saipan.”

But there are still families that don’t have water, he added.

“That doesn’t get into the front lines,” he said.

Muña said CUC is trying to stabilize water distribution, but the utility company needs more water pumps.

“We’re short on pumps,” he said. “How do you get more pumps? You need revenue for that.”

Sewage lines remain a problem as well, Muña said.

People continue to pour grease into sewage, causing sewage to back up.

“It’s not because the system isn’t working,” he said. “It’s because people put things in the sewage pipes that shouldn’t be put in there.”

But in order to fix the problem, a special type of equipment must be used.

“Do we have that equipment? No. We need to get that equipment, otherwise we’re just doing things manually,” he said.

He added that sewage pipes need to be replaced because, in some cases, there is no pipe left. A form has been molded, pushing the sewage through without the pipe, he said.

He said the company also is dealing with power transmission and distribution issues.

In Gov. Benigno Fitial’s state of disaster emergency for CUC, he directs the utility company to procure as soon as possible the goods and services necessary to repair a transformer that feeds the southern side of the island. CUC can’t get the necessary warranty work done on a backup transformer that feeds the Chalan Kiya distribution transformer because it still owes the supplier $180,000, according to the declaration.

“Everything demands a dollar,” Muña said. If things had been maintained properly, CUC could pay for necessary repairs, but because things were not properly maintained the dollar amount for ordinary repairs is higher, he added.

“It’s a process that if we had the money already, we’d be well on our way,” he said, “but we have to go through the process to secure the funding, because there’s no money coming from the register. And that’s no secret.”