Hanuabada drowning in rubbish

By TOMMY MAIMA
PLAYING is a crucial part of a child’s development, and playing in the water or sea is something children love doing. Everyone dreams of finding a perfect spot for picnic or for swimming. Some children are unfortunate because they have no access to clean seas or water.
Around the globe, it is estimated that around 250 million plastic will make their way into our oceans by 2025. Rubbish is entering the sea at an alarming rate (Marine Debris 2015) and plastic pollution is a concern to PNG marine life and coastal beaches and villages.
The environmental damage caused by plastic alone is estimated at US$13 billion a year globally (Marine Debris 2015). The plastic hazard and pollution of the sea and water in PNG is heading towards a time bomb and will soon affect marine life and people whose lives depend on it.
Hanuabada village is no exception and faces challenges of access to clean water and sea for children and families for swimming and fishing.
The effect of waste and plastic pollution has affected the Motuan village marine life and the people who live along the coastline. The village hosts an estimated 13,000 people who live on the coast and are exposed to health problems due to piled rubbish or waste being washed back into the village from the sea.
The village located north-east of downtown Port Moresby, opposite the Port Moresby harbor and wharf, is exposed mostly to plastic debris.
Many children have contracted diseases like diarrhoea, typhoid, malaria and cholera while playing and swimming in the polluted sea. In 2009, water borne diseases claimed six lives at Hanuadaba village after the outbreak of cholera in PNG.
Fifteen-year old Magaret Oala is a local Motuan girl who is concerned about waste and pollution in her village.
She worries that her once beautiful home will eventually be consumed by plastic debris and pollution from the waste that is disposed into the sea because of no effective waste management system in place.
“Since our house is built on the coast, I love to swim with my friends. The sea near the village is however polluted with rubbish and waste from within the village and the tide brings rubbish from Port Moresby here as well,” says Magaret.
“We don’t have a good spot for swimming anymore because of the pollution. Therefore, whenever we go out there to swim, we try to remove rubbish as we move further out to find clean water for swimming. It is quiet disappointing for us children to become used to the pollution of waste in our sea,” added Magaret.
“Since there is too much pollution, many children become sick while swimming in the sea. The waste produces bad smell and it is difficult to breathe fresh air at times. I hope one day our village and our sea area will be free from pollution for future children to grow healthy and have a clean environment to call home.”
“I would love to clean my coastline and village in whatever little way I can to help ensure a clean environment and I pray that me and my future children will have a clean and safe water to swim and fish in,” she added.
Already, Magaret has been involved in two major clean-up activities initiated by the World Vision Hanuabada Water and Healthy Life Project for community to take the lead to remove waste and plastic bags from drainage, coastline and around homes.
The Hanuabada Ranu Bona Mauri Namona Gaukarana Project (Hanubada Water and Healthy Life Project) aims to promote key approaches for water, hygiene, sanitation and waste management for the ‘big village’ and children like Magaret.
Through the National Department of Health’s Healthy Island Concept (HIC), World Vision has trained 54 HIC task force members to lead the community to promote improved health and hygiene practices.
One of the key approaches for the project is for the community to organise themselves to have clean-ups around the village in partnership with Motu-Koita, National Capital District (Waste Management Services), Curtain Brothers, other key partners and anyone else interested to lend support to the project. Since the project launch in April 2016, the community has initiated six clean-ups around the village.
The endeavour aims to create change in the community by increasing access to safe drinking water, improving hygiene and sanitation behaviour. By working with local leadership, World Vision aims to educate the community on the value of water, the importance of good hygiene practices, and help the community develop long term solutions for waste and sewage disposal.