67,000 benefitting from sewage treatment plant

National
From left: Process engineer John Mugu, operation manager Jonathan Maino and plant manager Nerius Kua at the sewage treatment plant. – Nationalpic by Nathan Woti

By NATHAN WOTI
MORE than 67,000 people living on the coastline of Port Moresby are directly benefitting from the Japanese government-funded sewage treatment plant at Joyce Bay.
The project valued around K236 million (about JPY 8,261 million) is up to the required standard according to Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica) delegates who visited the site last week Friday.
Jica chief representative Masato Koinuma said the project was initially aimed at helping the community and the natural environment along the coastline of the city.
He said Jica had stepped in to help with the project of an upgraded water sewage system after realising that Water PNG had struggled with the construction of connecting every household in Port Moresby to a main waste treatment source.
“Prior to the construction of the project, there was a huge problem of sanitation and health related issues because the 100 per cent of the wastes were pumped everyday into the ocean.
“However, it is a relief to know that this major project that the two governments have partnered to work with has solved part of the issue,” he said.
He also commended Water PNG and formerly Eda Ranu who had been doing a good job in managing the site and was continuing to do treatment every now and then to each stations around the city, to ensure the sewers pipes were clear and that the waste could be brought to Joyce Bay to be treated before clean, environmentally friendly water was released into the ocean.
Facility manager, Nerius Kua, explained that Port Moresby currently has three sewage treatment plants located at Waigani, Morata, and Gerehu.
The three plants provide sewerage services to approximately 90,000 residents in the inland area out of a total population of approximately 290,000.
However, there were no sewage treatment plants in the coastal area where 67,000 people lived.