Road damage disrupts services

By PISAI GUMAR
ROAD access for villagers living in Upper Erap of Nawaeb district, Morobe has been disrupted by a landslide which damaged almost 300 metres of the road last week.
Nawaeb MP Gisuwat Siniwin estimates the cost of repairing the damaged road near Sabang village to be around K25 million.
On Christmas Eve, Torowa health centre officer Safo Mufeyong had to assist a woman in labour from Torowa to Sibi, to catch transport to the Angau Memorial Hospital.
He said the Torowa health centre ambulance was stranded on the village side of the landslide.
Passengers and cargo are dropped off and picked up at Sibi village.
Vehicles transport store goods, education and health materials to the villages and bring back coffee, cocoa, tobacco and fresh produce from Upper Erap to the markets.
Siniwin said the damage was huge and could not be met alone by the district service improvement programme fund.
“The estimated cost would be around K25 millio. I am appealing to the provincial government and Works Minister Francis Awesa to assist us immediately,” Siniwin said.
He said the damage has disrupted road access to the people in Middle and Upper Erap including Torowa, Nimara, Rabisap, Lovai One and Two, Finongan, Gom, Tagup, Kokosang, Damet, Nondot, Kamdarang, Bolopan, Saut and Lamang. Siniwin who went to the site, walked for six hours from Sabang to Lovai II where he spent the night on Friday.
He walked for another four hours along rugged terrains from Lovai II to Kokosang to celebrate Christmas Eve with locals on Saturday.
Mufeyong said it was hard to get medical supplies now.