Relief coordinators for Manam Islanders are unable to take clean drinking water to the island because there is no appropriate transport available.
It means, families there will have to source their own drinking water from traditional sources like wells, many of which are contaminated.
Rudolf Mungali from the Madang Disaster office told LOOP news today “it is not possible to take fresh water to Manam Islanders because there is no means of transporting a huge number of water supplies.”
“People will need to depend on the water source they normally use. We will provide empty containers,” he said.
NGO partners will be asked to help supply empty containers.
More food items will be ferried across to Manam next week including 300 bales of 20kg rice, 1300 flour bags (10kg) and 1300 1liter bottles of cooking oil.
The National Disaster Office has sent K50, 000 funding for relief efforts while the Department of Prime Minister chipped in K250, 000.
Mungali says part of the money will be used on logistics and part on food supply.