Kundiawa town without water supply

By JEFFREY ELAPA
PUBLIC institutions and residential areas in Kundiawa town in Chimbu, will go without water for some time after disgruntled landowners stopped the main source of water supply this week.
This came about after the landowners successfully obtained a court order for authorities to address the payment delay of outstanding claims to the landowners.
The Kamnuku landowners who own the land which sources the Kundiawa water supply, obtained a restraining order to stop the PNG Waterboard from supplying water to the residences and business and government institutions in Kundiawa over outstanding payments worth over K6million.
Provincial police commander John Kale told The National that the restraining order was issued to PNG Waterboard office in Kundiawa from further supplying water to the town after the government decided to stop the payment to the landowners who owned the water facility on their traditional land.
He said that the town would go without water for sometime as it was a court injunction preventing further supply of water to the town.
He said the Kundiawa hospital and other government institutions and business houses could be severely affected if the situation continued.
However, he said relevant authorities should now consider the plight of the public which could be worsened and make the payment that was ordered by the courts through the court order.
The landowners claimed the court had issued an order to the state to make the payment but the Department of Justice and Attorney-General had decided to stop the payments.
Kale said the K6.8 million is a fund that landowners had been awarded through the courts.
He urged that the relevant authorities should make the payment rather than delaying it as the people would suffer from health hazards that could be brought about if the water supply shut down was prolonged.
Kale said any deaths related to the water supply shut down would be blamed on authorities.