FREQUENT POWER BLACKOUTS DISTRUPTS LIFE IN DARU
CAPTION: Bird’s Eye View of Daru Island Township INSET: Western Governor Taboi Awiyoto
BY KENNY ROMANUS
RESIDENTS of Daru are facing growing hardship as unannounced power blackouts continue to disrupt daily life across the island capital of Western Province.
PNG Power Limited, the sole electricity provider in Daru, is facing heavy criticism from residents who say the company has failed to provide reliable service or clear explanations for the frequent outages.
Many residents say the ongoing blackouts have forced them back to basic living conditions, despite living in an urban township.
One public servant, who asked not to be named, described the situation as “living like villagers in town.”
She says she wakes up early to make fire just to cook breakfast before work, and repeats the same routine in the evening.
“It’s frustrating and demoralising,” she said. “We have electric appliances, but no power. This problem happens every year and nothing improves.”
She added that families are now spending extra money on solar panels, batteries, and lights just to survive.
“There is no feeling of town life,” she said. “Without power or water, we are moving around in the dark most nights.”
Another resident, originally from outside the province but now living in Daru, has called on Western Province leaders to urgently step in.
He says an alternative power provider, such as SDP’s solar power, should be considered to solve the ongoing crisis.
The resident also highlighted the impact on food security.
“We can’t store meat in freezers,” he said. “We only buy food for one meal because power cuts happen without warning.”
Residents say unreliable electricity has slowed development in Daru for decades. While some improvements are being seen under the current government, the public is calling for immediate action on the power crisis.
They are now urging local leaders and relevant authorities to intervene, saying their basic consumer rights are being denied due to poor service delivery.
Meantime, Western Governor Taboi Awiyoto also highlighted the power issue to the Prime Minister James Marape in his recent visit to the province to officially launch the Surveillance command Centre in Daru earlier this year.
Governor Awiyoto mentioned that Daru is faced with other issues as well and the main problem Daru town is faced with is limitation to power supply.
The governor singled out that Daru has the capacity to supply power, which they outsource from solar however they are unable to connect because PNG Power claims that they have the exclusive rights over power supply on the island.
