news & events
Floods Destroy Anglimp
THOUSANDS of kina worth of properties, education infrastructure and food gardens were destroyed at Avi in Western Highlands’ Anglimp district after heavy rain forced rivers to flood their banks last Thursday night. Students turning up for classes last Friday found their chairs and desks floating around and had to wade into the classrooms to save some of their items. Classes were suspended for the day. Families, on the other hand, spent the day draining flood waters from their food gardens while others checked on their livestock that could have fled the area or were caught in the floodwaters and carried away. According to community leader Pr Solomon Lucas, the issue of flooding in Avi was ongoing and needed to be addressed at the provincial level. He said flooding was brought on by drainage problems and, even though the local community had done its part to trying to resolve it, the problem had resurfaced and was affecting them. He said the primary solution was to maintain and seal the feeder roads, with one of them leading to Baisu jail, and build proper bridges. Lucas said in this way, the drainage system would be upgraded and streams, which caused flooding, could be diverted into the nearby Waghi and Penn rivers. He said ongoing flooding and the problems it posed had gone unnoticed by the government and was a sign that government services in the district were either lacking or were in chaos. Lucas said locals, a majority of whom were block holders, had suffered long enough and were wondering when existing services would be maintained. He called on local MP Jamie Maxtone-Graham to bail them out of this mess as the people were being denied services when schools and roads were affected by the floods. He said the community had played its part and now needed government intervention to replace the logs being used as bridges and upgrade the road system.
Source: The National 7/3/2011
Minj health centre shuts due to unpaid bills
MINJ district health centre, the only government-run health facility in South Waghi district of Western Highlands, has been shut down after electricity was cut.
This forced pregnant mothers, other critical cases and outpatients to seek medical care at Kudjip Nazarene Hospital and Tombil SDA health centre, which were outside of Minj.
Board chairman Andrew Gele led his board members and staff to Minj Rot Bung market on the Highlands Highway, Waghi bridge and Minj last week announcing that the health centre was no longer operating and patients seeking health care should go to Kudjip or Tombil.
The National learnt that PNG Power had cut the centre’s electricity due to accumulated bill of more than K18,000, since the Evangelic Brotherhood church withdrew its management services three years ago.
Gele said that due to the electricity cut, water flow into the facility had subsequently been affected as water is pumped by electric pumps, making it a double blow to the health centre.
“We have brought these plights to respective authorities but they have fallen on deaf ears,” Gele said.
“The health centre is the only public health facility in South Waghi and it serves the people of Kambia and Minj constituencies.
“Lacking electricity and water poses high risk for patients so the board had unanimously agreed to shut the facility until such time any concerned government comes to help,” he said.
Konubuka community leader John Pikip expressed concern that the health centre had been neglected by all levels of government.
“We have no government here in South Waghi.
“Our MP preaches about health and hygiene in the media from Port Moresby yet he does not know his backyard,” he said.
Several attempts to check with the district administrator Kimin Gokumi and South Waghi health coordinator Donald Tepeko failed as they were absent when visits were made to their offices.
Several calls to local MP Jamie Maxton-Graham’s office were also unanswered.
Source: The National 4/3/2011