Flooding river forces residents to relocate

By EREBIRI ZURENUOC
MORE than 50 people at Busu Compound in the Ahi local level government of Lae, Morobe, are homeless after the flooding of Busu River.
Heavy rain over the past few days caused the river to flood and extend its banks by some 40m, forcing five families to move further inland.
Landowner and Lae City Authority staff Betsy Gware told The National yesterday that her family had to dismantle their houses and move all their belongings on Saturday after the river flooded.
“There is nothing we could do but to move after seeing that the river was causing land slips,” she said. “We were able to move all the housing materials to a safer space, and we moved all our personal belongings to the church building near the river.
“Some of the things we couldn’t take with us were washed away by the river.
“The toilets, mango trees and other things that were part of our yard was taken by the river.”
Gware said, given the nature of the Busu River, there was nothing the people could do to divert its flow, especially during the rainy season.
“We have tried in the past to control the flow of the river but nothing worked,” she said.
“We put 40 foot containers in the river and filled them with rocks and soil, but when it rained the containers were washed away.
“We tried filling in with rocks and cement; it also didn’t work. “The only option left was to move.”
Local councillor Seth Mulliam said other areas in ward 12 affected by the heavy rain were Poasang, Onion Garden, parts of Second Seven and parts of Yanga village.