Dept working on geohazards management policy

By DALE LUMA
THE Department of Mineral Policy and Geohazards Management (DMPFGM) is putting together the country’s Geohazards management policy, secretary Harry Kore says.
Kore said this on Friday when commissioning the new office extension for the Port Moresby Geophysical observatory.
He said the policy captured the earthquake component of the building code.
“With that we are trying to make it become compulsory for those who construct infrastructure such as roads, buildings and all these to apply the earthquake loading standards,” he said.
“This is so that in the event of an earthquake the building does not collapse.
“The roads that you build must last up to 15 to 20 years.
“Right now we have roads being built and the next minute there’s potholes and they patch them up with gravel and it continues.
“We want to get rid of that and the only way to do that is to apply the standards so that’s basically what we are doing with the geohazards management policy.
“We also have a lab standard operating procedure we are trying to make use of that so we make it compulsory and any developer who wants to build an infrastructure in PNG must come and get certification from us.
“We will talk to the banks, financiers and insurance companies and tell them to send them (developers) to us.”
Kore said the new office extension for the Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory would be called the Chris McKee wing after the DMPGM director who would be retiring soon.