Environment council installed
By ENNIO KUBLE
THE Environment council has to find a scale of balance between protecting the rich biodiversity of this country and allowing developmental projects in the resource sector to occur.
The Department of Environment and Conservation said PNG was the seventh richest in bio-diversity in the world and it needed to strike a balance between protecting that biodiversity and allowing impact developmental projects.
With the challenges emanating from developmental projects and climate change, Environment and Conservation Minister Benny Allen put to his council members to maintain transparency and credibility in performing their constitutional duties.
He said as environmental managers in the highest level, they should concentrate on policies and strategic plans for protection and conservation while embracing participatory mechanisms that hinges on greater stakeholder involvement.
The Environment Council was established under the Environment Act 2000 which came into force in 2004.
The council members who were sworn in by the acting State Solicitor George Minjihau were Dr Iamo, Dr Lawrence Kalinoe, Jeremiah Tamate, Modowa Gomoi and Beno Erepan.

Lack of communication leaves city residents without water
Lack of communication between PNG Power and Eda Ranu resulted in the disruption of water supply to Port Moresby residents yesterday, Eda Ranu officers said in a statement yesterday.
“PNG Power did not inform Eda Ranu that it had planned to carry out major maintenance, which would involve opening the gate valve at the Rouna 2 head pond near Sogeri outside Port Moresby last Saturday.
“And this action may have caused high turbidity in Eda Ranu’s raw water sources at Rouna1, 2 and 4.”
The workmen had assessed that there was very high turbidity in the raw water and the capacity to treat high turbidity at the treatment plant was insufficient, hence, in order to avoid sediments getting into the treatment plant, raw water mains feeding the treatment plant were shut down, affecting the production of treated water for consumption.
This resulted in water cut early yesterday.
However, Eda Ranu workmen worked tirelessly throughout the night and used the alternative water source at the Bomana pump station to temporarily access raw water, which was pumped into the treatment plant to supply the city.

Claims of fraud at college
By FRANK RAI
ALLEGATIONS of corruption and hijacking of procedures have surfaced in the second year running at the Lutheran and Anglican churches-run Balob Teachers College.
Students are being taken in with false certificates and the administration was accused of hijacking procedures.
The claims were made by a member of the governing council.
Reverend Mark Beto, who is also the education secretary of the Gutnius Lutheran church is now demanding a change of the current administration.
He said yesterday that Balob Teachers College administration was enrolling non-school leavers (NSL) through corrupt practices.
“This 2008 NSL enrollment is being done behind closed doors and I am calling upon the National Church Councils for both (the Evangelical and the Gutnius Lutheran) churches to change the administration,” Rev Beto said.
He was in Lae to enroll some students and was appalled to learn that bribes were being offered for places.
“The same thing happened last year and I personally brought this issue up in the media,” he said.

Probe on jail break
By ELIZABETH VUVU
A THOROUGH investigation will be carried out on the three warders at the Lakiemata jail in West New Britain, who are alleged to have neglected their duties resulting in the outbreak of nine hardcore criminals last week.
The warders were suspended last Friday by the jail administration for alleged negligence of their duties.
Jail commander Chief Insp Marcus Mandau said an investigation would be carried out to determine the exact cause of the escape.
He said the escape had occurred from within the jail compound where warders should have been closely monitoring prisoners.
“The escape was not possible but it did happen and it could have been prevented so an investigation would be carried out ,” Mr Mandau said.
He said he had submitted a brief via fax to the headquarters a day after the escape, which was on Jan 23.
He said a copy of the brief was forwarded to the police commander in Kimbe and police and CS officers were working jointly around the clock to recapture the escapees.
Insp Mandau said the fast recapture of the criminals would depend on helpful information from the public.

Seismic activity high at Mt Tavurvur
By ELIZABETH VUVU
SEISMIC activity remains moderately high at Mt Tavurvur in East New Britain, according to the Rabaul volcano observatory.
Chief geodetic surveyor Steve Saunders said yesterday that he observed two small, instrumentally recorded, high frequency events within the caldera.
One was between Mt Tavurvur and Mt Rabalanakaia and the other just off the east coast of Mt Vulcan.
He said the one occurring off Vulcan was the first time again since the 1994 volcanic eruptions.
He said on Jan 29, there were 400 low frequency events and three explosion type signals but most of these were not associated with the ash emissions.
Continuous pale grey ash clouds are gently rising to 1km above Mt Tavurvur’s vent in windless skies before gently blowing to the east.
He said the immediate outlook of the current activity was not unusual being the typical low level activity that had been periodically occurring for the last 13 years.
Small ash emissions could be expected to continue on occasions and wind directions would control the areas receiving ash fall, Mr Saunders said.
However, there was no indication of any build-up that might lead to significant eruptive activity like that of October 2006.
The people are advised not to venture close to the volcano due to the possibility of rocks being expelled during the occasional eruptions.

Wingti-Olga trial comes to an end
By NOEL BERRY
The election petition trial on the Western Highland province seat came to an end last Friday at the Mt Hagen National Court with the calling of witnesses.
Presiding judge Justice David Cannings has instructed counsel representing the Electoral Commission Andrew Kongri, Alfred Manase, who is representing the petitioner and former Governor Paias Wingti, and Harvey Bill Nii, who is representing Governor Tom Olga, to prepare their submissions and present it to the court on March 3.
The Electoral Commission called in its last witness last Friday.
Timothy Mel told the court that he was sleeping in the other house on the night of July 6 when he saw people marking ballot papers in the night using a generator.
The petition was filed by Mr Wingti alleging improper practices, errors and omission by the Electoral Commission, which affected results of the Regional seat and seek orders for the recount of ballot papers now locked behind the Mt Hagen police station.

Helen’s damage assessed
ASSESSMENTS are ongoing for villages in the Central province affected by strong winds last month caused by Cyclone Helen, provincial disaster coordinator Daniel Mona reported last week.
Mr Mona and his technical team visited affected parts of the province and were impressed by the willingness of community members and their district administrators in carrying out their own assessments and reporting back to the provincial headquarters in Konedobu, NCD.
The teams will be visiting three LLGs in the area and other parts of the district .
District administrator for Rigo, Nick Gorua met up with Mr Mona on his visit at Saroa village and witnessed destruction to houses, food gardens and road infrastructure.
A full report of the assessment would be compiled and sent to the provincial disaster office next week.

MTS helps out parents
MELANESIAN Tours Services (MTS) has moved to ease the burden of school fees for children whose parents work for the company.
MTS, the parent company operating the Madang Resort, Niugini Diving Adventures, Kalibobo Village and the Kalibobo Spirit, has extended its assistance to schooling children of all employees who have served for more than two years.
Managing director Sir Peter Barter said the company would meet 50% of the school fees for the children from Grades 1-12 at an estimated cost of K34,000 and hoped other companies too would follow suit.
Last year, the MTS had helped parents of children from Grades 1-8.