Resource owners form associations to benefit from spin-off activities

By DOROTHY MARK
Water resource owners in Madang have formed associations that would lead them to form companies that will enable them to benefit from spin-off activities.
The landowners elected their executives yesterday which was a follow-up of a meeting they had with Madang Governor Peter Yama last week.
Yama had advised them to get organised in different groups in areas such as landowners of water catchment area, treatment plant and so on so that everyone living in the impact area of the water source supplying Madang town gets the benefit of supplying the water.
Yama said he would assist them and negotiate with Water PNG on profit-sharing arrangements so that the water resource owners benefit.
“Water resource owners in Port Moresby have done it so you can do it,” he told landowners from Furan, Panim and Jahil.
John Ariku, a landowner and executive of the Furan delegation, said they have been silent for so long and not much development has taken place in their areas.
He said the water resource owners made their first big scene when they shut the supply to the town last month to show their frustration on number of issues.
Those issues include bad road conditions which have led to several deaths and arm hold-ups between Sisiak settlement and villages. Recently a man fell off a PMV and died when the driver reversed to avoid an armed hold-up.
Resource owners out of frustration shut the water supply into town and the residents suffered for three days.
Madang MP Bryan Kramer stepped, negotiated and water flowed again.
Ariku said Kramer promised them K50,000 so they let water flow again but were still waiting for the money.
Kramer said yesterday that the money was given through programmes under ward development committees and this payment would be released once the landowners had formed their committee.