The people of Waingsoduna, in the Morobe Rural LLG of Huon Gulf District, are yet to see proper running water in their village.
Kobo ward councilor, Max Yawo, said their great grandfathers have been drinking from catchments and the Waria River; a trend that their generation and their grandchildren are continuing.
The outlying villages of Morobe Rural LLG can only be reached via the sea, and are more than 5 hours away from Lae city.
One of these villages is Waingsoduna, where there has never been a proper water system, no electricity and struggling health, education and law and order systems.
The people there have been drinking water from catchments, or well water, for as long as they can remember.
“Mipla save dring disla tais wara; mipla save digim ol tais wara na mipla save dring lo em,” said councillor Yawo. (We dig wells and drink the dirty water in them.)
Councilor Yawo said the Works Department installed a hand pump for them in 1992, which was a great relief until the pump broke six years ago due to rust.
“Klostu lo solwara olsem na aien ya, em sa rast hariap na em save buruk,” he explained. (We’re near the sea, that’s why the iron rusts quickly and breaks.)
“Em nau olsem mipla brukim siment ya na wara stap ples klia nau em olsem, mipla plumapim disla wara tasol na dring. Long kuk tu, seim wara tasol. I nogat narapla wara ken.” (That was why we broke the cement to access the water to cook and drink. There’s no other clean water source here.)
When water in the village dries up, their next best option is to drink from the fast-flowing, heavy sediment Waria River, commonly known as Wara Waria. Villagers there paddle for over two hours to reach the river, fetch their water to cook and drink, and paddle back.
“Longpla taim mipla stap, mipla save dring Wara Waria tasol,” he stated. (For many years, we drank from Wara Waria.)
“Ol lain lo hia tu, taim wara pinis, bikpla san, ol putim olgeta kontena lo kanu nau, ol pul i go lo Waria, na pulumapim Wara Waria na karim kam bek. I go pinis bai pul i go bek ken, pulumapim Wara Waria ken na karim kam bek.” (When its dry season, people here load their canoes with containers, paddle to Wara Waria, fill their containers and paddle back. They repeat the whole process when the water finishes again.)
On behalf of the people of Waingsoduna, the councilor is calling on their district and provincial leaders to install a proper water system in their community.
(Wara Waria, where Morobe Rural LLG villagers fetch their water to cook and drink)