Water fully restored

WATER supply has been fully restored at noon on Sunday to Lae city after almost three weeks of water supply problems.
Residents in the industrial capital were relieved after continuous work by PNG Waterboard to restore two of their bore pumps which were burnt out last week due to fluctuating power supply that left residents without water.
PNG Waterboard Lae branch manager Steward Tito yesterday said water pressure had been tested in all corners of Lae and confirmed to be at 40 PSI (pressure value of pounds per square inch).
“Work is on-going to further improve water pressure in Lae,” Mr Tito said.
He said water was currently being supplied using four of the five bores.
Surging for bore one, he added, was still under progress and PNG Waterboard aimed to install bore pump number one by today.
“This will further improve water pressure for the whole city,” Mr Tito said.
On Monday, the water utility placed a full page advertisement in newspapers and highlighted the challenges it faced in Lae, actions taken and assured it would take remedial action to solve the city’s water problems.
Chief executive Patrick Amini assured city residents and companies of their resolve to restore the water supply to its normalcy at the earliest opportunity and to put in place lasting solutions to the current Lae water supply problems.
The company’s short- to medium-term plans included investing towards a more reliable power supply by liaising with PNG Power to provide it priority supply or further consider a more robust standby power system and to seek expert advice to improve bores performance.
The longer term plans will involve looking at options for raw water extraction and developing a network control system for ease of operation.