Across the Markham

Weekender
LIFESTYLE
Onga-Wafa folks breast strong river currents in search of help and opportunity
Councilor Andrew Atsu (front right) and youths from Yatsing and Fuguap villages carrying a sick woman from Ananas over to Mutzing Health Centre on a makeshift stretcher.

By PISAI GUMAR
WADING steadily through the murky Markham River were two female figures, immersed to their necks, hands clasping tightly their bilums hanging down from their heads.
They could have easily been swept downstream but the hardy women braved the strong current and made it across to Mutzing station’s roadside market along the Highlands Highway in Morobe.
The river was subsiding from yesterday’s flooding caused by heavy downpour upstream in interior Ufim and Yarus in Onga-Waffa LLG of Markham, bordering Nahu-Rawa and Nayudo LLGs of Raicoast, Madang.
The deluge was sweeping down remaining debris and logs left hanging loose alongside the riverine vegetation and sand banks.
The figures were carrying bilums and other garden produce, wading in chaotic fashion with trembling legs withstanding the strong force of rocking waves sweeping logs and debris meandering down to the Huon Gulf coastline.
Wading through eight main river tributaries and countless small streams for a span of nearly 6km was a painful journey only to get to Mutzing has been the case for over four decades. Mutzing, the Markham district headquarters, is where people from the valley on either side of the river and their mountain cousins have been obtaining the most basic government services.
It was 9.44am on Sunday, Dec 6, 2020 and I was accompanying Morobe philanthropist and former governor Kelly Naru and his wife to Guruf village in the Onga-Waffa LLG.
“Lord, please have mercy over these women, support their shaky legs for they’re in search of means to provide for their family needs back home,” I whispered, standing from a distance with camera on video mode, in case one or both would be swept away at any moment.
Few metres behind me were courageous youths from Guruf village aiding Naru and wife across the raging waves to Intoap, home of Markham MP Koni Iguan, before proceeding farther down to Guruf.
Standing amid one of the grey sand banks that mirrored the vivid rays of hope from sunup rekindled my mind to pursue the experience and agony witnessed this Sunday, ensure the raging current would not sweep me away into the Labu coastline to be feasted on by sharks and seagulls.
The women came ashore few metres down the sand bank and we were later introduced as later as Yalambing Angab and her daughter Susan from Inziganz village, Onga-Waffa LLG.
This was an ongoing agony most of the 27 communities in Onga-Waffa hadve endured over four decades. And the MP himself has not been spared this either.
The many personal untold experiences here at to Onga-Waffa are like a similar a drama I encountered at Yowor River in Astrolabe Bay LLG, Raicoast, Madang in 2013.
I lost my Nikon camera to the river when trying to rescue a mother with two children who were being swept away by Yowor River.
The family was on their way to inspect a garden inundated by the river previous night. I was returning home to Lalok after visiting cocoa trees and food gardens upstream and alongside Yowor River.
The four-year-old was upon the mother’s neck as she clasped the six-year-old tightly to her right and proceeded across the flooded river.
Midway across the six year old fell over into the river as the swift current swept his legs and dragged the mother and four-year-old to follow suit.
Soon I jumped into the river drowning the camera hanging down my chest and reached out to their rescue as another local man also swam across and assisted us to the beach.
The Madang’s Kalibobo Lighthouse is visible from Lalok village, which is a K5 PMV ride from Madang town by road in an unbearable condition. Without bridges at Yowor and Minzeng the ride could be a four to five-hour backbreaking ordeal.
If you get dropped off at Yowor there’s another two-hour trek to Lalok.
Three nursing staff from Modilon General Hospital and I swam across Minzeng and Yowor rivers each Monday morning to catch the Basis Wass PMV to work after weekends at home. The Ileg Health Centre ambulance and staff use a dinghy.
People of Bugati as far Ileg and Bonga walked hours to Yowor or get on dinghies when the sea is calm.
Along this road is nestled the Chinese-owned Ramu Nico’s multi-million kina nickel pipeline linking the Basamuk processing plant.
But most sections of the pipeline here are washed out and are visible. There is no proper road and bridge to serve the Bugati inhabitants onwards to Basamuk. The access path farther along the coastline linking Saidor station is a disaster in itself and a history.
The late former Raicoast MP James Gau invested K10 million in 2013 to construct the Yowor bridge engaging an Asian construction company. But the money somehow disappeared into thin air without any trace soon after the basement piers only were erected.
Meanwhile Markham MP Koni Iguan confirmed with sympathy that the struggles was endured since their forefather’s days and a bridge can be built but requires adequate funding and only time will tell if such amounts of money be available.
Much of this agony has existed over time with no attempts to relieve the dilemma while MPs and bureaucrats keep deviating from priority issues, diverting funds to satisfy their shopping lists to garner favour among other factors.
Back to Onga-Waffa, at 5.20pm on this Sunday evening at the very spot, I again witnessed Ward 8 councilor Andrew Atsu and youths from Yatsing and Fuguap villages carrying a sick old mama, in her late 60s, from Ananas over to Mutzing on a makeshift stretcher.
Sadly, those in rural areas keep living in darkness as their ward councilors keep waiting forever without getting the promised K10,000 from government to initiate ward projects.
Most councilors opened their ward accounts five years ago and aret waiting in vain for the K10,000 to hit their accounts for eight years now.
The pillars of the democracy written by Greek thinkers Socrates and Plato was that of “government for the people by the people” that prioritises human needs as of paramount importance.
Yet, the systems and mechanisms for the government for the people to serve people is perhaps in disarray, isolating itself from the people leaving humans in the dark.
They are going in search of whom and where to seek relief and peace of mind.
Proper roads, bridges, airstrips, wharves and jetties are the common denominators to propel government policy, programmes and socio-economy activities to enhance people participation.
This certainly will ensure proactive participation in rural cash crop activities in places like Onga-Waffa, Astrolabe Bay and Lower Watut which are notably known for cocoa production.
Onga-Waffa and Huon Gulf topped Morobe’s cocoa production in 2019 followed by Tewae-Siassi, Finschhafen and Nawaeb. Yet there are no farmer incentives and worse, transportation system is deplorable.
In Lower Watut, farmers risk their lives and cocoa bags costing K50-K80 a bag on dugout canoes when floating down to 40 Mile from where for an additional K30 PMV fare they reach exporter sheds in Lae.
The first ever Lower Watut pilot track constructed by MP Ross Seymour linking Tsiletsile and Maralina to relieve such issues is currently accessed possibly by bandicoots and pigs due to land issues at Mafanazo village and a court restraining order.
Onga-Waffa and Lower Watut contributed with other Morobe cocoa producing LLGs generating K28 million cocoa exported in 2019.
This was K6million increase from total K22 million generated in 2017.
The Onga-Waffa people’s vigor in cocoa farming contributed 83 tons, Umi-Atzera (104.68 tons) and Leron-Wantoat (21 tons) placing Markham on limelight totaling 105.11 tonnes in 2019.
In monetary terms, Umi-Atzera generated K10,65,842 million, Onga-Waffa K648,208 and Leron-Wantoat K144,158.
There are a total of 451 total cocoa fermentaries/driers in Markham district. Umi-Atzera has 388, Onga-Waffa 53 and Leron-Wantoat 10.
And yet, the 83 tonness produced in Onga-Waffa wasn’t captured in Markham district budget to be utilised meaningfully to set in place a reliable transport system for people to access markets.
Instead, it is a tiring merry-go-round from Intoap up to the lopsided Wankung bridge, over to Umi Market then an hour’s drive down to Mutzing station.
However, not all 27 communities reside along this kunai stretch. More hinterland communities like Kapakainantu and Imane bordering Menyamya (in Morobe) and Obura-Wonenara (Eastern Highlands) are yet to be linked by roads.
The total income to Morobe farmers was about K28.5 million shared across the eight cocoa producing districts.
The 2019 PNG Cocoa Board report stated that Markham district generated K10.8 million (37 per cent), Huon Gulf K8.85 million(31 per cent), Tewae-Siassi K4.2million, Finschhafen K2,9 million with Nawaeb, Lae, Kabwum and Bulolo earning smaller amounts.
Menyamya is not included as it mainly focuses on organic coffee. But farmers there are also faced with similar transportation woes like those in other districts.
Morobe special projects unit economic research officer, Theo Michael said the major impediments to cocoa farmers was bad roads, bridges and rundown fermentaries.
Morobe’s positive results in cocoa production was based on tremendous efforts of major cocoa exporters in Agmark, Outspan (Olam) and Elliven including Wafi Golpu Joint Venture’s sustainability programme in Lower Watut, and the PNG Cocoa Board Morobe office.
Michael said Morobe exported K22 million worth of cocoa in 2017 of which Markham generated K7.7 million.
“Morobe special projects unit aspires to bring cocoa farming activities to a better lever at the cost of K1 million. This will be achieved through an increased number of fermentaries and more efforts inseedling distribution.
“The pilot project begins with Onga-Waffa to increase the number of fermentaries from 53 currently to 200 and the distribution of 240,000 seedlings within the next three years beginning in 2021. This will be done at an estimated cost of K355,000 annually,” Michael said.
Morobe’s rural majority rely mainly on agricultural activities but lack continuous funding incentives to promote sustained production capacity and enable cooperatives to improve their access to markets.
Minister for Agriculture and Livestock John Simon launched the Morobe leg of the cocoa price stimulus scheme at Munum, Wampar in Huon Gulf on April 26.

  • Pisai Gumar is a freelance journalist.