Rubbish disposal concerns after clogged drain causes flood

BUTIBAM in Lae was flooded yesterday due to drain blockage near the village as a result of rubbish being dumped there.
A drain near the road into the village was clogged by plastic waste, household waste and other rubbish dumped into it by settlers.
Compounding the problem was a small outlet that could not clear the waste flowing through, blocking it and sending water into the village.
Ahi local level government president and Butibam local Malcolm Kalo visited affected houses yesterday morning and said he had spoken to Morobe deputy administrator growth and infrastructure Kisu Lucas about addressing the issue.
“The main problem causing the blocked drains leading to floods is rubbish,” Kalo said.
“We must start looking after our rubbish and throw it in right place.
“Settlers dumping their rubbish into the drain should burn or bury their rubbish or engage the city council to collect the rubbish for safe disposal.
“The drainage outlet is also too small and it must be removed and a new one must be built to cater for the amount of water and rubbish flowing into the drain.”
Kalo said the drainage issue was the same for Balob and Busurum which resulted in water overflowing onto the road during heavy rain.
“Almost 500 people of Butibam are now affected because of the clogged drains,” he said. “I have talked to Lucas and he will send in some engineers to look into this.
“This has been an ongoing issue and we have to fix it once and for all.”