🌊🚰 Di People Want Water: Big Yawa As Dem Beg Commission to Bring Back Lahaina Stream Flows
⬇️ Pidgin ⬇️ ⬇️ Black American Slang ⬇️ English
For di people wey pack full di state Commission on Water Resource Management meeting for Maui on Tuesday, no be small matter as dem voice out strong strong, make dem restore di stream flows for Lahaina area 🌴. Like 200 souls gather, dey yarn say make di water run again, say e go bring back fish 🐟 and other water creatures, support dia cultural ways 👣, and even help protect their homes against fire wahala 🔥.
Liko Rogers stand gidigba tell di panel say if to say di water management for Lahaina area make sense, say im family house for still stand gidigba today 🏠. Him accuse say, for don tay, na di sugar plantation people 🌾 dey divert di water, but at least di cane fields dey help block fire. Now, na developers control di water and dem just dey build fancy houses wey be say na only few people for Lahaina dey enjoy am 🏗️💰.
“Enough don tire,” na so Rogers put am. “We for Lahaina no fit just dey look make government dey write our story 📝. We don lose plenty and di pain don too much. We want our streams back! 💦👐”
Tiare Lawrence yarn say dis struggle for water management for West Maui no be today matter, e don dey tay for ground 📚. She say di wahala wey dey happen now dey give chance to correct some old wrongs wey don affect the people because of Pioneer Mill, tourism business, and government people 🏛️.
Hope dey high for di people wey full di room, say the ecosystem and di kanaka fit bubble together again 🌱🤝. Di meeting wey take like nine hours, get plenty people wey come talk dia mind, including 40 pikin and teachers from Lahaina’s Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiian immersion program 👩🏫🧒.
Di chairwoman for CWRM, Dawn Chang, yarn say dem bin try make di meeting happen for Lahaina Civic Center but e no work, so na for Wailuku at the J. Cameron Center e end up dey happen 📍. “E dey very important for us to dey here today,” na so she tok.
As di meeting start, e get plenty clap for First Deputy Kaleo Manuel when dem introduce am 👏. Na him first paro since dem carry am come back to work as CWRM ogbonge staff. Many speakers yarn say make di commission build trust again by yarn wetin really make dem reassign Manuel and beg am sorry, because many people dey hail am for him work to help give people their water rights 💧🤲.
No sorry or explanation dem give sha. Chang before yarn say na state Attorney General Anne Lopez ask say make dem shift Manuel go another work for Department of Land and Natural Resources until dem finish investigate “certain personnel events” wey connect with di August 8 fire wahala 🔍🔥.
Dem don drag Manuel for news before when one developer accuse am say e delay to fill reservoir when fire dey burn — but later dem find out say dat move no for even help di fire matter ⏲️🔥.
Di matter wey make people vex for how dem take handle Manuel, na him shine light for di water yawa for West Maui. Last summer, di Water Commission call di whole Lahaina Aquifer area a water management zone 💧🚫. The deadline to apply for water na one day before di Lahaina fire start 🔥📅.
According to DLNR, dis kain designation go help dem figure out who dey use water, check waste, address public trust mata, balance needs, and plan for dry season 🌞🔄.
For di Tuesday meeting, di staff dem drop update say 116 water permit applications don land from West Maui 📄👥. For di area, private companies dey control 75% of di stream water, while na Maui County dey manage di remaining 25% 🛂💧.
Plenty people plead with di commission to think about di local workers, di kalo farmers, and land preservation before dem consider resorts and private water sellers 🛌🏞️.
Katie Austin from Lahaina talk say she come Wailuku because she don hear community leaders dey fight for years for one thing: make di water flow again 🌾🌊.
“E no clear for my eye how private people go dey control our water. E no make sense at all, e no suppose be so. Nobody no suppose get power over water like dat, and
una need really think about dis well well. E just dey vex me,” na so Austin put am.
Many speakers bring back memory of how Lahaina area dey full with green green things and plenty wetlands. Dem dey beg say make di freshwater pond called Mokuhinia and di one-acre island of Mokuula, wey get history reach back to 16th century and na royal residence for Kamehameha royalty for 19th century, come back to life 🌿🏝️.
Dem talk say na early 1900s dem fill up di pond, destroy di island and turn am to park. Now, di people don dey gbege to get back dia water and dia history, and dem serious pass as e dey show.
NOW IN BLACK AMERICAN SLANG
🌊🚰 Call to Action: Community Rallies for Lahaina Streams to Flow Free Again
In Maui this past Tuesday, the spot was packed out at the Commission on Water Resource Management meeting. Two hundred strong, the crowd was there with a purpose: to get those Lahaina streams flowing like they used to 🌴. The collective voice was clear—they said bringing back the streams ain’t just about the fish 🐟 or tradition 👣, it’s ’bout keeping the flames 🔥 at bay from their cribs.
Liko Rogers stepped to the panel with a heart full of facts, saying clear as day, if folks had been on top of their water game, many homes, including his own kin’s, would’ve stood their ground 🏠. Back in the day, sugar plantations 🌾 had the streams on lockdown, but at least those fields kept the fires from creeping too close. Now, it’s these developers gripping the reins, building plush pads for the few, doing Lahaina dirty 🏗️💰.
“Let’s be real,” Rogers declared. “Lahaina ain’t about to just sit and watch our narrative get hijacked. We’ve seen too much go down, felt too much pain. It’s time to take our streams back! 💦👐”
Tiare Lawrence came through with the history, shedding light on the deep-rooted tug-of-war over them water rights in West Maui. But right now, there’s a chance to flip the script on the wrongs done by the old sugar mills, the vacation biz, and the heads that be 🏛️.
The room was filled with the kind of hope that sees the land and its people rising up together once more 🌱🤝. The marathon meeting was a stage for many voices, from West Maui locals to 40 young scholars and their teachers from Lahaina’s Hawaiian immersion school 👩🏫🧒.
Dawn Chang, the chair of the CWRM, said they tried for the Lahaina Civic Center, but ended up at the J. Cameron Center in Wailuku 📍. “It mattered for us to come through today,” she said.
As the meet kicked off, the crowd showed big love when First Deputy Kaleo Manuel got introduced 👏. It was a comeback moment for him at the commission. Folks there were pushing for some real talk and an “I’m sorry” for the shadows cast on Manuel’s rep, after he had been doing the most to balance the water rights scale 💧🤲.
No sorrys or clear reasons came out, though. Chang only mentioned that the AG, Anne Lopez, hit up Manuel to switch lanes till they cleared up some business ’bout the wildfires 🔍🔥.
Manuel had hit the headlines when a builder claimed he played around during the fires, slowing down a reservoir fill-up. Turned out, that move probably wouldn’t have changed a thing in that blaze ⏲️🔥.
Manuel’s shake-up got the town talking, especially since he’s rooted in the Native Hawaiian community, and it brought the water beef in West Maui into the limelight. Last summer, the water folks marked the whole Lahaina Aquifer territory as a zone needing some water rule book action. And wouldn’t you know it, the deadline for getting your water rights papers in fell just before the Lahaina fires kicked off 🔥📅.
According to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, stamping that area means they got more muscle to check who’s using water, spot the waste, sort out the priorities for the people, and plan for those dry spells 🌞🔄.
At Tuesday’s gathering, the word was that a whole 116 water permit requests came from the West Maui side 📄👥. And peep this—private outfits run 75% of the waterways, leaving just a quarter for the county folks 🛂💧.
Speakers laid it down: the powers-that-be gotta look out for the day-ones, the taro growers, and the land preservers before they even think ’bout catering to resorts and private water hustlers 🛌🏞️.
Katie Austin from Lahaina dropped some truth, saying it’s wild how these private companies be having a stranglehold on water. “It makes zero sense for them to call the shots on something that should be for all of us. It’s way past time for y’all to put that on your radar. It’s out of line,” she said.
Folks reminisced on Lahaina’s days of green abundance, making a strong case to breathe life back into the Mokuhinia freshwater pond and Mokuula, sacred since the 1500s and a one-time royal spot in the 1800s 🌿🏝️. Both got wiped out in the early 20th century, turned from
a natural treasure into just another park 🏞️🚧.
That’s the word from Maui. The community’s stepping up, standing tall, and making a call to action. The goal? To see those Lahaina streams flow strong and free again 🌊✊.
NOW IN ENGLISH
🌊🚰 The Cry for Water: Community Demands Action at Commission Meeting to Reclaim Lahaina Streams
At the state Commission on Water Resource Management meeting in Maui this Tuesday, the turnout was immense. A fervent plea was made by roughly 200 attendees, all rallying for the reinstatement of stream flows in the Lahaina area 🌴. They voiced that the restoration is critical not just for the return of marine life 🐟 but also for upholding cultural traditions 👣 and safeguarding homes against the threat of wildfires 🔥.
Liko Rogers stood resolute before the panel, expressing a belief that had water resources been managed appropriately, his family home and many others would still be standing 🏠. He pointed out that, historically, sugar plantations 🌾 had redirected the stream water, but their fields at least acted as a barrier against wildfires. Today, the control of water lies in the hands of developers who focus on constructing luxury properties that only serve a minority in Lahaina 🏗️💰.
“Enough is enough,” Rogers stated firmly. “We in Lahaina cannot sit idly by while the government dictates our story 📝. We have endured great loss and suffered for too long. We demand our streams be restored! 💦👐”
Tiare Lawrence highlighted the longstanding battle over water rights in West Maui, noting that the current situation presents an unprecedented chance to address past injustices inflicted by Pioneer Mill, the tourism sector, and political leaders 🏛️.
There’s a palpable sense of hope among the attendees that the ecosystem and the kanaka (people) might thrive together once more 🌱🤝. The nine-hour session saw a multitude of speakers, including 40 students and educators from the Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiian immersion school in Lahaina 👩🏫🧒.
Dawn Chang, the CWRM Chair, mentioned that there were attempts to hold the meeting at the Lahaina Civic Center, but it ended up taking place at the J. Cameron Center in Wailuku due to scheduling conflicts 📍. “Being present here today is crucial,” she affirmed.
The session began with robust applause as First Deputy Kaleo Manuel was introduced 👏, marking his return to the commission’s top staff position. Speakers called for the commission to rebuild public trust through transparency regarding Manuel’s reassignment and to issue an apology for any wrongdoing 💧🤲.
Despite the calls for clarity and contrition, no apology or detailed explanation was forthcoming. Chang had previously only stated that Anne Lopez, the state Attorney General, had requested Manuel’s reassignment to another role within the Department of Land and Natural Resources pending the investigation of “certain personnel events” tied to the wildfires on August 8 🔍🔥.
Manuel had become a focal point in the media when a developer accused him of delaying action to fill a reservoir during the fires—a claim that was later deemed unlikely to have impacted the firefighting efforts ⏲️🔥.
The controversy surrounding Manuel’s transfer, who is Native Hawaiian, has cast a spotlight on the water disputes in West Maui. Last summer, the entire Lahaina Aquifer sector was declared a water management area by the Water Commission, with the application deadline set one day before the tragic Lahaina fires 🔥📅.
The DLNR asserts that such a designation will facilitate the identification of water uses, the evaluation of impacts and waste, the addressing of public trust issues, and the planning for drought conditions 🌞🔄.
During Tuesday’s meeting, it was reported that 116 water permit applications had come in from West Maui 📄👥. Currently, private enterprises manage 75% of the stream water, leaving the county in charge of the remaining 25% 🛂💧.
Testimonies implored the commission to give precedence to the needs of local workers, taro farmers, and the preservation of land over the interests of resorts and private water companies 🛌🏞️.
Katie Austin from Lahaina emphasized her confusion and frustration over the privatization of water resources. “It’s incomprehensible that private entities can control our water. It simply doesn’t make sense and should not be allowed. No single private entity should wield such power over water—period—and this needs serious consideration. It’s absolutely absurd,” Austin asserted.
Reminiscing about Lahaina’s once lush and verdant landscape, speakers urged for the revival of the Mokuhinia freshwater pond and its 1-acre island of Mokuula, revered since the 16th century and once a royal residence in the 19th century 🌿🏝️. Both were lost in the early 1900s when the pond was filled in and the island was razed to create a park.
The plea for the return of water and historical reverence was evident, as the community members expressed a strong and unwavering commitment to restoring their environment and heritage.
🌊🌲
