Flooded station puts Radio Wewak off air

By GYNNIE KERO
RADIO Wewak in East Sepik has been affected for the second time this year by water overflowing into the station building following heavy rains in the early hours of Monday morning.
The provincial radio station is an important government entity engaging in both broadcasting and telecasting services and needs immediate attention from the provincial administrations, director provincial radio Anna Klawe said.
She said she did not blame anyone or the East Sepik administration for damage but asked that priority be given to address the drainage problem NBC Wewak faced.
She said engineers responsible for the new Wewak market project, next to the radio station, should have been more aware of existing infrastructure and likely consequences before going ahead with construction work on the market.
She said the station was the most reliable medium people in remote areas used for communicating.
And now with them missing out on that service, there is nowhere else to turn to.
Klawe said they were suspending services for an indefinite period because the studio “is unhygienic and risky with most of the building’s electric cables wet and underground”.
Technical officer Jimmy Aris said the national television service, Kundu 2, was out on Monday after an adaptor was damaged by the water.
But that was restored with modified replacement.
He said there was a possibility of similar problems occurring unless something was done immediately to clear waterways during wet seasons.