Inmates at Buimo Jail facing water problem

THE Buimo Jail in Lae, Morobe, has been without water since Friday, posing health risks to more than 1,000 inmates, jail commander Chief Supt Felix Nomane said yesterday.
He said taps at the prison ran dry since Friday afternoon. The prison was still without yesterday.
“This is having a greater effect on the health of the prisoners and if there is an outbreak of any disease, it will trigger more chaos at the prison,” Nomane said.
He said the 1,134 prisoners along with 90 Correctional Services officers and their families were affected for the last three days.
Nomane said the prison had used up water from its reservoirs.
The jail commander said if water was not restored in the next 24 hours, they would not accept new admissions from the police or the courts.
“Cells have toilets in them and there are more detainees in a cell,” Nomane said.
“I’m worried that these toilets are full with no water to flush out rubbish. This poses possibilities of outbreaks,” he said.
“As for the officers, we are a bit okay as we can move around to find water elsewhere, but the only concern here now is the prisoners.
“It is a problem that is beyond our control. We need the service providers to immediately restore water,” he said.
Nomane instructed his officers yesterday to consult Water PNG to investigate the problem.
Water PNG could not be contacted for comment.
Namane said the prison also experienced power blackouts since last Friday.