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Seigu kicks up a stink over sewage spill
By JAMES KILA and ZACHERY PER
RAW sewage, used condoms and other filthy
debris are spilling onto the main street of Seigu in Goroka town, posing
a health risk to local residents.
The National’s Goroka bureau is located within the vicinity and is no
exception to the exposure to the air pollution and sewer seepage.
Mothers and children who reside in the affected areas are kicking up a
big stink about the situation in a hope that the local authorities would
do something about it.
A concerned mother, Maria Joe, said the raw sewage was seeping out of
the drainage system from about five separate locations in Seigu,
pointing to an obvious blockage somewhere underground.
“It’s terrible and posed a high health risk to children, especially
infants and the town authority must do something quickly,” Mrs Joe said.
She claimed the Goroka Town Authority had been sitting on this problem
for far too long without doing anything.
She claimed that the deputy town manager, several councillors and
employees of the town authority resided in Seigu.
She said they should have alerted the town authority to the problem and
get it fixed.
“This problem seem to be on-going in the Seigu housing commission area
and we want something done permanently to fix this sewage problem once
and for all,” he said.
Goroka town manager Yaungao Uyassi the problem was related to mechanical
failure at the main sewage pumping station located near Seigu.
He said the town authority had already bought a new replacement pump,
which was supposed to have been installed last week.
However, he said a backhoe which was supposed to dig up the area for the
pump to be installed is also out with mechanical problem.
“As part of the temporary relief arrangement, we had to hire a private
sewage pumping agents who had been doing the job at Seigu,
“However, the agent was to have pumped out the waste last week, but had
not done so,” Mr Uyassi said.
The town manager gave an undertaking that the pumping agent would attend
to the sewage leakage today, adding that they would continue to pump out
the waste at Seigu until such time the new pumping station is installed
and commissioned
 
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