Country did not take heed of NARI warning

 THE National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) released public information in our two daily newspapers in 2010 titled, “Preparing PNG for likely drought in near future”.

In this article, NARI stated there was a high possibility of occurrence of a strong EL Nino event, causing severe drought in PNG within three to five years (2011-2015). 

In fact, their research work at the time showed there were strong indications for EL Nino conditions developing in the latter part of 2011 and beyond. 

This was a vital warning most of PNG has overlooked for the last five years.

The current El Nino conditions have reaffirmed these vital observations and predictions. 

NARI’S statistics have shown that during the 1997 drought there were severe shortages of food and water, with garden produce declining by 80 per cent, 1.2 million people without locally available food, declined health and increased mortality, and huge exodus of people to major towns in PNG looking for food and better living causing severe shortages in already limited public resources available at the time. 

It was also reported at the time that by considering the increasing severity of the recent El Nino events, it was expected that the next drought may also be more prolonged and more damaging than that of 1997.

NARI has done all it can to raise the awareness throughout PNG, and its sister institutions like National Disaster Center should be well in hand to support this campaign with the considerable funding of the prospect of a drought in the near future and generate debate on how best to prepare our rural communities for such a scenario. 

There is certainly a need to empower farming and rural communities with information on and access to drought coping strategies such as water and food conservation techniques, drought-tolerant crops, their species and management practices, and understanding of El Nino and drought events. 

NARI has recommended that these activities need to be undertaken in partnership with government and non-government organisations, community based and church organisations and progressive communities.

The current scenario experienced throughout the country is that besides food and water shortages, severe droughts have caused school closures, bush and forest fires, hydropower shortages, increased government funding to provide food and water for the most needy parts of the country, disease outbreaks, population out migration, breakdown of transport and communication infrastructure and law and order problems. 

The National Government should have declared a state of emergency in the worst affected provinces of the country. 

It seems that the country and people  have not prepared ourselves, even though the warning was given fve years ago.  

John K. Kirakar

Madang