Villages facing food shortage

MORE than 4,000 people from Sembrigi valley and Kerabi in Erave, Southern Highlands, are facing a shortage of food.
The people from the two council wards in the Erave local level government were affected by floods.
Charles Boka, a community leader from Kerabi, said since August, the floods had greatly affected their livelihood destroying food gardens.
Boka said last month, he raised his concerns with the provincial disaster officer and the district administration but no one had visited the affected sites.
People had turned to sago for survival but all sago trees had been cut down.
Trade stores in the area had been closed for a long time because of the deteriorating condition of the road.
Boka said many people were affected by malaria, dysentery and other water-borne diseases.
He added that patients walked more than 10 hours to get into Erave station to seek medical treatment because the Kerabi sub-health centre had closed down because it had no medical supplies in stock.
He called on  Governor William Powi, local MP James Lagea and the provincial disaster office to help them.
Provincial disaster coordinator Martin Pat could not be reached for comment.