Supplies fail to reach people

 Food relief aid for drought-affected villages in Western is being stockpiled in Kiunga without being delivered, Australian relief worker Sally Lloyd says. 

Chief Secretary Isaac Lupari, when asked to comment on this yesterday, said this should not be the case.

Lloyd, who has spent the last three weeks at Nomad in Middle Fly helping to distribute food relief provided by the Prime Minister’s Department, told The National that she saw food being stockpiled in Kiunga without being distributed. 

Tragically, while this food is there, people at Mougolu in Nomad have little food as they wait for their food gardens to grow after months of drought.

“I understand that there’s a lot of food coming into Kiunga now,” Lloyd said.

“They’ve shipped a lot of food up to Kiunga but we’re really looking for sponsors to bring the food across in fixed-wing aircraft because that’s the only way to get it through.

“The UN (United Nations) is doing a lot of logistic planning and trying to help with how much food needs to go where.

“We need sponsors who are really committed to making that happen.”

Lupari said disaster officers must be proactive in ensuring that relief supplies were delivered to drought-stricken areas.

“If food is being stored away, it shouldn’t be, people who are doing it should be made accountable.”