WATER SOURCES DWINDLING AS EL NINO HITS WESTERN PROVINCE
BY KENNY ROMANUS
Prolonged dry conditions across Western Province are worsening shortages of food and drinking water, leaving communities struggling to find clean water as falling river levels disrupt the delivery of essential supplies to Kiunga.
In Kiunga, settlement residents and block owners without access to the town water supply are among those bearing the brunt of the growing water crisis.
Christopher Ambrose, a resident of Kilometer 6, said five wells had been dug in an effort to secure drinking water, but all had dried up.
He said the situation was becoming increasingly difficult as water levels continued to fall, forcing residents to wait for hours for wells to refill after water had been collected.
“The deeper we dig, the more the water level goes down. When people continuously bail water out of the wells, the water level drops, forcing others to wait for hours for the water to rise before they can fetch it,” he said.
The water shortage is also affecting rural communities in Middle Fly District, where access to water is critical for household needs and traditional food production.
Mipan Village Ward Councillor Bernard Gabriel said villagers were experiencing similar challenges, particularly when preparing sago, a staple food that requires water to wash and extract starch from pounded sago palm.
Mr Gabriel said some villagers were forced to dig wells up to three metres deep and manually draw water to process the starch.
“Sometimes the sago is chopped and beaten several metres away, and the pounded starch has to be carried or transported to the water source for washing,” he said.
He said communities across the Fly Zibo and Lake Murray Rural Local Level Government areas were facing similar conditions as water sources continued to diminish.
Mr Gabriel added that obtaining safe drinking water had become increasingly difficult, with some residents relying on the remaining sources despite concerns about their quality.
He said some water sources had turned milky, while others appeared tea-like or light orange in colour, raising concerns about whether the water was safe for consumption.
Meanwhile, reports from affected communities have been reaching authorities through ward councillors, district administrations and disaster management channels as the prolonged dry spell continues.
Middle Fly District Disaster Coordinator Jeremiah James said relief assistance from the Fly River Provincial Government (FRPG) was expected to arrive sometime this month.
He said the assistance was expected to include food supplies, water filtration equipment or AQUA water-purification tablets, as well as other support from stakeholders.
Separately, Middle Fly MP Maso Hewabi has committed K8 million towards disaster response efforts, including the distribution of relief supplies and the development of bore water wells.
Mr Hewabi said funding allocated by the National Government would also be channelled through the district disaster office to support coordination efforts once the necessary arrangements were in place.
“For the K2.5 million allocation from the National Government, we will give that to the Disaster Office to coordinate whenever they are ready,” he said.
