Call to be disaster ready

 ALL provincial administrations should by now have disaster committees in place and they should be functioning all the time, National Disaster Committee chairman Dickson Guina says.

“All provinces should have an office established so that they can continue to function not only in this kind of situation (drought) but other disasters, so we must be ready,” he said.

Guina told a press conference in Port Moresby yesterday that provincial governments should be supporting plans in advance so that budgets through the DSIP (district) and PSIP (provincial) funds were available when a disaster struck.

“I urge all the provincial government, districts, local MPs and district authorities that they should take on the responsibility in responding to the needs of people at this time.

“I want to make it clear that the situation is under control. 

“We have been monitoring the situation according to our technical reports in terms of the category districts are going through.”

Guina said an assessment of the impacts of El Nino in the Highlands region was complete and the most affected districts and provinces were identified and confirmed by the Inter-Agency Assessment team

Kandep and Lagaim-Pogera in Enga, Tambul-Nebilyer in Western Highlands, Ialibu-Pangia, Upper Mendi and Karints in Southern Highlands, Guminie, Sinasina, Salt-Nomane and Chuave in Chimbu, Margarima in Hela, Unggai-Bena and Henganofi in Eastern Highlands are in the category four. Category four is when all staple food is gone and all the gardens are dried up.

“At this stage, the only confirmed figure of the population being affected from the Highlands region is 1.09 million – that is according to the assessment team report,” Guina said.

Assessment teams for Mamose, New Guinea Islands and Southern regions should return next week.