Islanders go hungry

 By CARMEL PILOTTI
PEOPLE in north-west Manus are experiencing food shortages due to bad weather and rough seas that pushes saltwater inland.
Manus MP Ronnie Knight said staple food crops like taro and sago were affected.
“There is a water shortage because of a lack of rain so we have requested for a portable desalinator from the Australian government to take around the islands and refill their tanks,” Knight said.
He said a foreign shop owner in Lorengau responded to their call for assistance and supplied more than 30,000 tons of food to the affected population, including 800 bags of rice and other food stuff.
Knight thanked the owner of Splendid Star for his generous assistance to the people.
“This man showed true community spirit and I am very grateful to him and the national government for their help,” he said.
Knight said the National Government recently gave K100,000 for relief assistance through the Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and Deputy Prime Minister Leo Dion.
He added that the people of Pateku, Pion, Amik, Luf and Liod islands were the most affected as they were farthest from the mainland.
Assistant director of district governance Henry Kalai said the beaches are higher than inland areas allowing sea water to settle there, destroying sago and swamp taro.
“Under normal weather conditions, sea water does not go inland.”