Island in Tewae-Siassi gets sawmill to assist relocation

 THE effects of global warming and climate change cannot be ignored by anyone let alone the 

inhabitants of villages along the coastlines, atolls, small islands and archipelagoes. 

Sea levels are rising at an alarming rate and people are forced to move further inland or onto higher grounds. 

The inhabitants of small islands around Siassi Island in the Tewae-Siassi district, Morobe, are no exception.  

The people of Mandok island numbering just under 1,000, are beginning to move to the mainland of Siassi to resettle after their island, and others like Aromot, Tuam, Malai, Aronai and Mutumala, experienced rising sea levels.

Resettling would mean erecting temporary shelters and making gardens while they plan their permanent resettlement strategies.

A mobile sawmill was bought and delivered to the Mandok islanders last December by  Tewae-Siassi MP Vincent Michaels, to help them with their resettlement programmes. 

A Lucas Walkabaut Sawmill was bought for K60,000 from the MP’s K100,000 discretionary fund. 

The remaining K40,000 will be spent on buying the necessary equipment, tools and building materials like nails.     

The chairman of the resettlement programme, Kuso Ales, received the walkabout sawmill from Michaels during the launch of the programme  last Christmas Eve. 

Michaels said the programme was on-going and people from other smaller islands would also benefit.  

Michaels had also assisted the Brown Memorial Hospital at Butaweng in the Finschhafen district with K100,000. 

Hospital board chairman Pastor Becka Kosiang, received the money from the MP during the hospital’s 50th anniversary on Dec14.

Michaels said the people of Tewae-Siassi, although not from the Finschhafen district, had been receiving medical attention from the hospital. 

Morobe Governor Luther Wenge, Defence Minister and Kabwum MP Bob Dadae, Markham MP Koni Iguan and Finschhfen MP Theodore Zurenuoc, also attended the event.