A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed today for the roll out of water services in the Yangoru-Saussia District, East Sepik Province.
The MoA was signed between the Yangoru-Saussia District Development Authority (DDA) and Water PNG.
Minister for Trade, Commerce and Industry, and member for Yangoru-Saussia, Richard Maru, said the water supply system compliments other existing projects carried out in the districts and will attract more people to live and work there.
“Our intention is in our district towns we want to ensure that life there is the same as you were living in Port Moresby,” Maru said.
“You have your water, you have your sealed road, you have your power lines, and very soon we will have TV streaming through.
“So we can attract the best public servants to come and live and work in the districts. And also attract more Papua New Guineans to come and serve in the district.”
The MoA, the first of its kind between a district and Water PNG, covers the operation and management of the Yangoru Town Water Supply System for the next five years.
Under the agreement, all billing and the day-to-day upkeep and management of the system will be done by Water PNG, while the Yangoru-Saussia DDA will use all income to pay the cost of running and maintaining the system.
The Yangoru-Saussia DDA will also meet any shortfall in operational overheads under the agreement.
Water PNG Managing Director, Raka Taviri, said Maru has set the pace for the MoA signing and called on other districts to follow suit.
He said the signing underpinned the Government policies of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) as well as Community Service Obligation (CSO).
Maru said with the new water system, bucket toilets are a thing of the past, as all high and secondary schools, public service and primary schools have been connected.
The Yangoru Town Water Supply was built at a cost of K12 million and launched by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill in July this year.
Apart from the Yangoru Town Water Supply Project, the district has also completed water projects in 12 villages, with a further three villages to have their water systems completed by the end of the year.
Maru said once the township system has been completed, they will move out to all the villages.