Urban boom in PNG, says Ezekiel

PAPUA New Guinea is experiencing an urban-population boom at 4.5% annually, according to Housing and Urbanisation Minister Paul Ezekiel.
“In 1966, only 100,000 people lived in towns and cities but today we have more than one million people in towns and cities. That is growing at a rate of 4.5% per annum,” he said.
Ezekiel disclosed the figures at the first national urbanisation forum at the Institute of Public Administration in Port Moresby this week.
He said in the colonial days, towns and cities were restricted by curfews and villagers were not allowed in urban areas.
They came around as day visitors only.
He said the towns were for the colonial administrators and their employees, but after independence when PNG adopted a constitution and guaranteed freedom of movements, restrictions were lifted.
“There is no law preventing our people from moving to towns and cities. With this unrestricted movement, we now have a situation where urban infrastructures and services cannot keep up with the pace,” Ezekiel said.
He said there was also an alarming growth of informal activities and sub-services in the settlements.
“It is worrying to think that we are headed for a future outcome where our cities will become unplanned, sprawling slums of informal settlements,” he said.