By PETER KORUGL
People living along the Busu River in Morobe province have been urged to be on the look out for flash floods.
The Morobe disaster centre had issued the warning last Tuesday after landslides at the head of the river threatened to block the water and created dams.
The director of the disaster and emergency centre Roy Kamen said a tour of the river revealed at least one dam which was built by a landslide during the weekend which caused the river to dry up.
“The people along the banks of the river were scared that the river had dried up fast in the last few days.
“We suspected a dam had been created at the head of the river and we were right,” Mr Kamen said, adding that the dam had burst and water was flowing normally.
Mr Kamen said the landslides were occurring at many places along the river and the landslips could creat dams along the river.
He said it was better to be prepared than be sorry when disaster struck.
“It is part of our efforts to be prepared for any disaster. As you know prevention is better than cure,” Mr Kamen said after he returned from his helicopter trip following the Busu river all the way to Boana station.
This reporter who accompanied the disaster and emergency team said a few kilometres up from Boana station, a whole mountain side had slipped into the river hundreds of metres below and the earth was still moving, aided by the winds and rain.
“The landslide is still active there with the indications of drenched hills. You never know what is going to happen next but it is better to be prepared,” he said.