Flood destroys bridge

By GIBSON TORASO
UPNG journalism student
CONTINUOUS heavy rainfall in the Kompiam-Ambum district, in Enga, has resulted in the washing away of Punap Bridge on Tuesday.
All traffic came to a halt and more than 28,000 people in the district have been cut off from the rest of the province.
Chris Lon, a local from the area, said the flow of traffic into the district had stopped when the Punap River burst its banks and washed away the bridge connecting Wabag and Kompiam-Ambum district.
He said the bridge had been built in the 1970s and could not withstand the strong floodwaters.
He said it was the main road used by people and urged the local MP and the Enga provincial government to replace the bridge as “it is the lifeline to the district”.
“Our normal life is disrupted as we cannot have services flowing into the district anymore and we don’t know what we will be doing over the weeks to come,” he said.
He said on behalf of the people of Kompiam-Ambum district he urged local MP John Pundari and the provincial government to quickly replace the bridge.
He said if the authorities responsible failed to address the problem it would have a negative impact on business houses, hospitals, government agencies and the ordinary people.