Miner helps locals with water supply

A MINING company has some to the aid of a group of villagers who for years lacked a clean water supply.
Having access to a clean and safe water supply for cooking, drinking and washing clothes used to be a problem for Duman villagers who live a few metres from the perimeter of the Basamuk refinery plant, in the Rai Coast district of Madang.
For decades since the Duman villagers moved to settle there, they usually walked long distances to fetch water from creeks and streams.
Mothers and children normally carried plastic containers, and buckets and pots for a kilometre to collect water from a mountain creek. 
Ramu NiCo (MCC) Management, the developer of the multi-million Ramu nickel/cobalt project stepped in to help them.
A Tuffa tank has been placed in the village to store water, with supply coming directly from a reservoir constructed by the company.
Similar tanks have been placed in other nearby villages to help the people.
Water after being treated is then piped to the villages near the refinery plant.
About 10 villages in the project impact area at Basamuk are already getting water supply connected to their respective areas.
Isaac Larikoi, a villager from Duman, said he was happy with the water supply project and thanked Ramu NiCo for providing such assistance.
 “Mi amamas tru olsem nau wara tenk na tep i stap klostu tru long haus na mi no nap wokabaut longwe. (I am very happy that I will not have to walk far to fetch water. The water tank and the tap is just a few steps from my house),” Larikoi said.