Major changes for Waterboard

 PAPUA New Guinea Waterboard, soon to be known as Water PNG, is looking at forging partnership with private sector and financial institutions in the country to undertake major water and sanitation project.

PNG Waterboard, in a media statement last week, said it hoped to achieve this under the government’s public private partnership (PPP) policy.

The board said it would be pursuing the development of PPP including other major projects in New Year which would make a significant impact on the organisation.

Other projects include developing utility twinning arrangement through Asian Development Bank funding to assist waterboard.

The board will also look at developing working partnership with Australian consultant Results Leadership Group, to develop action plans and implement areas for improvement in five major areas of debt collection, production and distribution systems, staff and external stakeholder management.

The board announced that it had made changes to its organisational structure with the appointment of new interim members.

They are Amo Mark as chief operating officer and general managers Joe Yore (corporate services), William Walo (engineering), Sibona Vavia (business operations) and Raki Taviri (Lae operations).

The organisation chose Lae as the hub of activities for next year, adding that it would be the core business centre, but would continue to balance its activities throughout other branch operations. 

It said the total amount of K29.9 million allocated under the funding through the 2011 National Budget was significant, in terms of government’s desire to improve water and sanitation sector in accordance with Vision 2050.

A statement from the organisation said: “The board has faced many challenges and some have not met the expectations of our customers, our clients and our stakeholder, but in others we have ensured that we can be counted on to provide this important service.” 

The board added that in providing an effective governance regime, it hoped to ensure:

* A structure which will ensure effective communication, decision making is brought as close to the work places, and efficient effective management;

* Workforce that is appropriately remunerated; and

* Workforce that is responsive and performance based.