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Urgent relief sought for flood damages
By
JACK AMI
MEMBER for Dei Puri Ruing has provided an initial emergency relief assistance of K100,000 to the flood affected people in his electorate. Mr Ruing convened an urgent meeting last Friday for his district planning and budget priorities committee to help more than 30,000 people whose homes, food gardens, cash crops and other properties were destroyed by floods earlier this month. "In the light of current raining season and heavy downpours causing natural disasters in many parts of the highlands, particularly in Dei district of Western Highland, I have initiated this move to help the affected people. I have great sympathy for many families who have been affected by this natural disaster," he said Mr Ruing expressed appreciation for the prompt action by the national natural disaster office in Port Moresby that provided K100,000 for relief work in the district. However, he stressed that there is an urgent need for more money to carry out the relief and restoration of which include vital road and bridge infrastructure. "Due to the massive volume and mass destruction of homes, food gardens, gardening tools, basic domestic goods, livestock and cash crops, more funds are required," he said. Mr Ruing said the floods washed away five key bridges linking Kotna-Baiyer River road, affecting more than 25,0000 people, schools, health service, delivery of public services and seriously affecting the economy of Dei district and the Western Highlands province. The effects also included the operations of two large coffee plantations, Tigi and Kul. "Under my direction a Dei district disaster assessment team, comprising government officers has been set up and is currently making an on-the-spot inspections of affected areas to assess the extent of destruction. "When the facts and figures are available within the next week, I will use the data to seek assistance from the National Government for further funding assistance in areas of temporary relief for displaced people, reconstruction of the destroyed bridges and other public infrastructure," he said. Mr Ruing was also concerned of the sediment building up at the Muga River Bridge, funded by the Asian Development Bank and was completed recently along the Ambra-Kotna section of the old highlands highway road. He said there is an urgent need to carry out dredging work to remove the sediments to prevent the bridge from being washed away. Mr Ruing noted that Dei district is the host to some big coffee plantations and the Muga River Bridge is a key infrastructure provides very important link to these plantations. "In the light of the current wet season and huge build up of river banks in Dei and other parts of the province, I call on the Western Highlands Provincial Government to take urgent steps to providing the necessary assistance. In view of the province currently without a governor following Tom Olga's dismissal by the Court of Disputed Returns, I call on Inter-Government Relations Minister Job Pomat to take appropriate steps and clarify the situation. This will give confidence to public servants, business community and the general public," he said. |
NEWS
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