Goroka residents assured of reliable water supply

EASTERN Highlands administrator Samson Akunaii has assured the residents of Goroka town that they will have a reliable water supply.
Town residents recently complained of receiving dirty water coming out of their taps and the disruptions to the supply.
Akunaii said the function of managing and operating the town water supply and sewage treatment plant had been transferred to Water PNG through a Cabinet decision.
Akunaii said the water and sewerage system in Goroka would no longer be managed by the town council but by Water PNG.
“The Goroka water and sewerage supply systems were built in the colonial era to cater for a very small population,” Akunaii said.
“But in recent times, the population of the township has increased to more than 50,000, thus putting a strain on the resources and capacity of the town council to supply a reliable water supply,” he said.
“The government realised this and agreed to let Water PNG handle the job.”
Akunaii said the transfer would affect the revenue stream of the Goroka Urban Local Level Government.
Therefore, the provincial administration is preparing a memorandum of understanding to ensure the Goroka LLG “gets a fair share of the revenue generated”.
“An NEC decision has already being made so we will just work around it to capture our interest through the MoU,” Akunaii said.