Town launches water project

 THE Arawa Supply and Sewerage Restoration Project for the township was launched last Friday. 

Arawa town mayor Mathias Salas thanked the National Government and Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, who during his visit to Bougainville made a commitment to fund impact projects in the region.

Salas said the commitment to restore the town’s water supply was a positive development at a time when the Arawa Urban Council faced challenges, including issues from the days when the town was used as a care centre during the Bougainville Crisis. 

He touched on the illegal land usage in town areas where people were building shops and houses everywhere they liked inside the town. He called on the Lands Department to step in and deal with this problem.

 The launching of the water supply project coincided with the groundbreaking ceremony for a site where the council was to establish its depot and which Water PNG was to use as temporary storage for its material and equipment for use in work on the water supply.

A traditional ceremony was conducted for leaders of landowning clans in which gifts of shell money was given to clan leaders by the council as a gesture for future good working relations with communities and stakeholders to the project. 

In their speeches landowner representatives promised to support the council and Water PNG in restoring water to Arawa town.

Water PNG chief of operations Billy Imar said the company needed support and work with the leaders to restore these important services and systems. He said when water and sewerage systems were running properly, more investors were likely to put money into businesses.

Chairman of Central Bougainville Small to Medium Enterprises Association, Chris Damana, thanked the National Government for agreeing to have the town’s water and sewerage systems restored.

“The project is a major undertaking and will cost millions of kina to restore the town’s water supply and sewerage systems and we are grateful to the National Government of its commitment to fund this project,” he said.

Central Bougainville MP Jimmy Mringtoro thanked the landowners and community leaders for their cooperation and support for the project which will to provide a vital service to Arawa town.