The Pomio jetty in the Central Inland Pomio (CIP) LLG of Pomio District is expected to undergo much-needed maintenance and upgrading through a funding program under the National Fisheries Authority (NFA).
Former CIP and now Central Pomio LLG Manager, Peter Kelelulrea, said the project is still under documentation stages with a final survey still outstanding.
He said the survey is being outsourced to a consultant and has been pending since 2022.
The jetty project was an initiative of the Pomio MP and the NFA.
After the Pomio District Development Authority (DDA) Board’s approval, funding was committed, with additional financial support from the provincial government level.
Kelelulrea said the support from the ENB Provincial Government financed the first survey on underwater sea lease, while the DDA was in consultations on the Terms of Reference for the survey on the construction of the jetty.
He said to date, two groups have been engaged for the offshore and onshore surveys in 2021 and 2022.
The last requirement for the project’s documentation is the hydrographic survey and once that is completed, everything should be finalised.
The jetty, which sits on state land and built during the colonial period, once served as the main port for Pomio District when the district headquarters was at Pomio Ward, and is estimated to cost K4.5 million to upgrade.
The Pomio jetty connects two LLGs of Central and Inland Pomio and links two hinterland roads, which provide access to farmers from the inland and surrounding coastal wards.
Kelelulrea said once the jetty is upgraded, it should boost the programs for the LLG’s business arm, the Central Inland Pomio Investment, that has all its 34 wards as shareholders.