Struggling for water in a city

Water is a daily need but for 30 households at the police barracks in Port Moresby’s Games Village, it has been a real struggle for over twenty years.

For more than twenty years, residents have had to wake up at odd hours in the morning just to fetch water.

However, this was made even worse when water supply has been limited for about five months now.

Frustrated wives of the police officers told this newsroom that most of them have been facing this issue since moving to the barracks after the South Pacific Games in 1991.

The group of women told this newsroom that concerned authorities are aware of this issue.

An inspection was carried out last year with promises of further actions on a water tank located at the top of the hill in the area however, to date, nothing has eventuated.

“Our children have been carrying buckets and containers of water to and from the house and now they are all grown up and still doing the same thing,” they said.

“We are tired and they are tired but what choice do we have?”

They pointed out that despite living in an urban area, they walk around looking for water as if they live in a village.

“We need the Police Minister to look into our welfare.”

The situation has even gotten so bad that these residents have had to make do with water gathered at a drain at the June Valley shooting range.

They only resort to this approach when there is rain or if they have no water supply at times, which is mostly every day.

Children have been also the worst affected; some of them have had to deal with serious health issues like diarrhoea and typhoid.

(Residents of the Games Village)

Author: 
Imelda Wavik