Regarding “Ala Wai flood control project under fire” (Star-Advertiser, Feb. 5): I understand not wanting to have your home and your way of life impacted by an engineering project. Nobody wants this.

But for the other 65,000 residents who would be affected by devastating flooding, if and when the Ala Wai watershed overflows, this sob story drew little pity.

I’m not suggesting that projects happen with no community input, but all this article does is enable a tragedy of the commons to play out in our backyards.

Furthermore, if the Manoa Neighborhood Board is only now learning about this project (going on since at least 2004, according to the article), maybe the failure is on the board to accurately understand its community.

After we narrowly dodged Hurricane Lane last year, I hope these “concerned” citizens spend a little more time thinking about their neighbors and their community and not just their slice of the pie.

Ray Mangan

Kaimuki

Click here to read more Letters to the Editor.