Villagers receive 9 ‘dry toilets’

BARAKAU villagers in Central now have access to improved sanitation after the completion of nine Sago dry toilets on Monday.
This was made possible through the Barakau sanitation project between Steamships Ltd and Sago Network.
Steamships managing director Rupert Bray said: “Education and health are two pillars of the Steamships community grants programme and indeed our larger sustainable development focus areas.
“The importance of proper sanitation cannot be over-stated for education and health within communities.
“Sanitation is more than just toilets – it is about behaviours, facilities and services that together provide a hygienic environment for communities and particularly children, allowing them to fight diseases and grow up healthy.”
The project was funded from the Steamships community grants programme.
The toilets were designed by the Sago Network team in Sydney and Port Moresby in conjunction with the University of Technology and support from Consort Express Lines to ensure that the units were robust enough to withstand cyclonic winds and be cost-efficient.
The implemented project model required financial buy-in from the community, thus, it was important to consider this as well as environmental factors.
Sago Network director Rosemary Korawali said people would benefit from improved sanitation which would reduce instances of sickness such as diarrhoea and dysentery.
“Through these families, education around sanitation practices adopted by the community will have a direct positive flow-on effect at a village household level,” she said.
“Barakau serves as a representative village for many of PNG’s coastal villages and is reflective of a village community that has taken ownership of their health by improving their sanitation practices.”