Floods affect thousands

 By ELIAS LARI

FOUR sections of the road leading to the Kagua-Erave electorate in Southern Highlands have been cut off, leaving behind thousands of people, including school children, teachers and health workers, stranded.

The affected roads are between Kunu and Ialibu, between Kagua station and Sugu Valley at Mugiri village, the third is between Sugu and Erave and that has forced commuters to overnight before reaching Simberegi, Erave, Polowa and Marolgo.

The final section of the road was cut off at Porago and people are using rafts to get across to their villages.

All schools in Erave and the Simberegi health centre and aid posts are finding it difficult to transport food rations, learning materials and health facilities.

Marcus Kamali, a young leader from Kagua-Erave, has called on relevant authorities, including local MP James Lagea and the provincial government, to help repair the roads.

He said the people wanted to remove the blockage along the roadside and build a new access road using bushknives, spades and axes but were hindered by the heaving rain and floods.

“People have been depending on the road for years and this is the worst when four sections are cut off,” Kamali said.

“Since last month and now people are suffering and I do not know when these sections of the roads are to be maintained.”

He said landslides and flood have caused massive damage to properties apart from lives being affected.

“We cannot blame anyone, what we need here is for the roads to be fixed so that the situation can return to normal.

“This is the worst and I find it hard to travel back to my village but to return to Mt Hagen or Mendi and wait so that roads can be maintained.”

“I believe other remote parts of the electorate are affected as well but only proper assessments will tell,” Kamali said.

He said the Kagua-Erave and Ialibu-Pangia electorates were prone to natural disaster like flooding and landslides and needed urgent relief assistance from the provincial and national governments.