Water problem hits Madang town

By DOROTHY MARK
Madang town residents tempered with pipes over the weekend after water supply shut for three weeks.
Newtown residents helped themselves by the bucket-loads for cooking and drinking while others washed along the roadside.
Madang Urban local-level government’s ward seven councillor Bonny Solomon said water was an essential need and people’s right to having access to water could not be denied.
Solomon appealed for WaterPNG to fix the problem.
In a notice last week, Water PNG management said due to heavy flooding, the finished water turbidity had risen above the recommended range.
It said the water supply would be allowed back in town as soon as the turbidity level dropped back to the drinking water turbidity level recommended by the Department of Health and World Health Organization standards.
The management appealed to users in town to be patient while supply was restored.
Meanwhile, Madang disaster office has issued notice of precaution to highway travellers, especially those using the Madang-Usino Highway.
Acting director Rudolf Mongallee said Madang had begun experiencing heavy down falls since last week and parts of the Usino-Madang Highway had gone slippery and prone to accidents.
Mongallee said parts of the highway near Kawar Market and Negeri was dangerous and drivers should be careful.
He said drivers should make sure vehicles were in good condition and they should be sober when driving.
Mongallee said those travelling using the bamboo bridges crossing at Banab Bridge should also take precautions because the river has also flooded and turned brown.
The disaster office issued warnings to people living along mountain ridges of possible erosion that may uproot houses and gardens.
Mongallee said there was an incident in 2015, where a house was uprooted by erosion and mother and her three-year-old child were buried alive in the Begasin area in Usino.
“People going to gardens must take precautions and must also inform others of where they are going so that if anything happens, their relatives would know exactly where to find them,” he said.