Villages flooded as locals await relief

By PISAI GUMAR
VILLAGES along the Waria Ri­ver have been affected by floods in the past two months, with the local level government failing to report the situation to the provincial disaster and emergency office to assess and provide relief supplies.
Villages that had food gardens swamped include Kobo, Sapa, Dona, Saigara, Zare-Aingse and village hamlets like Saima, Nima, Unu, Bemu, Gonero, Wiari and Sabewa along the valley.
The people have resorted to eating bananas and sago daily while using the murky, brown river water for drinking and cooking.
Aingse community leader Parai Aweine, Dona village elder Dziauwa Dziauwa and Morobe high school chairman Inonase Guma said since November the river had been continuously flooding as a result of continuous heavy rain at the head waters.
“The situation is very frightening as this could be some of the impacts  of climate change … the bulk of the population in rural villages are yet to be educated about such cross-cutting issues,” they said.
Aweine said: “Not all people are aware and educated to the level that they can understand such as impacts of climate change that we are facing. We are left in the dark.”
Paul Bake said it was no longer safe for people to use the murky waters for drinking and cooking.
He said LLG leaders needed to initiate something for the good health of the people.
“All our food gardens have been under water for two months,” Bake said.
“Early November, some officials from disaster and emergency came and travelled up the river on dinghy and cameras flashing to affected sites, taking shots but no relief came forth.”