By SHEILA LASIBORI
THERE are concerns that relief supplies are not reaching some remote parts of flood-devastated Oro province.
As a result, there are fears that death by starvation may occur in some of these areas.
Food gardens have also been reportedly washed away and covered by ground and sand from the floods and landslide that followed the flooding. Even the remaining food crops found have reportedly rotted.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) led by AusAID, Oxfam, Caritas PNG, Anglicare and the Anglican Diocese among others, have been named as providing some assistance in terms of supplies to some of these areas.
The chairman of the Itokama relief supplies committee Fr Hubert Tariambari said: “We are still waiting for the Government hand to reach us. The people here have consumed all that were given to us by AusAID and other NGOs and people have looked left and right and there is nothing.”
Fr Hubert said AusAID had been supplying the area between the last week of last November and first week of December.
Kokoda town mayor Ori Kenia and Lionel Keun from Ward 14 of the Oro Bay local level government have also expressed similar concerns regarding relief supplies.
Fr Hubert continued that Itokama constituency has over 5,000 people and the second constituency was Managalas in the Afore area, which he said was severely affected and running short of food supplies.
Four days ago, an NGO chartered aircraft dropped off relief supplies at Itokama and villagers within the Itokama constituency walked long distances to the distribution centre and carried away their share.
Controller of the State of Emergency Col Vagi Oala yesterday noted the concerns raised by Fr Hubert but disputed claims from Gira and Eia areas located inland of the North Coast, that there were no relief supplies there in recent weeks.
He said relief supplies were being flown into these two areas and only recently the Sohe MP had been hard at work distributing and dropping off supplies to areas including Gira and Eia.
These were after Morris Tovebae, claiming to be a representative from a NCD-based Oro disaster appeal committee claimed relief supplies had not reached Gira and Eia areas.
Mr Tovebae also called on the two MPs and Oro Governor to put aside their differences and work together.
“This is the time to lead. We want to see the three of them leading the groups,” Mr Tovebae said.