HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – After heavy rains left the Ala Wai Canal clogged from end-to-end, one man has taken it upon himself to clean it.
They call him “Smurf,” and he lives on the streets, but tries his best to keep the streets clean.
“I’m trying to get rid of all this mess out here, even if it has to take just myself,” he said. “It’s sad to see it like this. We got to find a way to stop this dirtiness.”
The canal was filled with logs, tree branches, cardboard, and rubbish.
“I started cleaning up since yesterday, about five in the morning,” Smurf said. “I found all kind stuff, but my main focus is trying to get all this debris out and keep it nice.”
When asked if he had seen the canal this bad before, he said “I’ve seen it like this, but not as bad as it is now. It seems like it’s 10 times more than what is was before.”
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced Tuesday it is working with the state Department of Transportation and City and County of Honolulu to clean the canal of mud and debris.
“Honestly, in all the years I’ve been looking at the Ala Wai and all the times I’ve seen it post-rainfall, this is one of the worst times I’ve seen it,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangardi, “so we’re gonna clean it up.”
On Tuesday, a Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) contractor cleared a “trash trap” permanently at the outflow of the canal just beyond the Ala Moana Boulevard bridge at the entrance to Waikiki. The trap is intended to keep trash from flowing into the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor and out into the ocean.
Meanwhile, DOT officials Tuesday analyzed what mitigation measures can be put into place in the canal proper to prevent further debris buildup before heavy rains begin again.
State and county officials are encouraging people who live along the Ala Wai Canal, as well as along streams that flow into the canal, to secure anything on their properties that could end up in the canal.
