Water supply a concern as Goroka gears up for Apec

National Planning Minister Richard Maru has told Parliament that the Government is concerned about the water supply system in Goroka now that it will host an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting.
He said Goroko was the only town in the country where the water supply was owned and managed by the town council.
“We have a concern whether the water is safe because it is not managed by Water PNG Company,” Maru said.
“With the government’s plans to hold some Apec meetings in Goroka, they want to be assured that the water quality is to standard to meet the demands of the international visitors.
“I have written to the governor and asked if we look at offloading the management of Goroka town water supply to Water PNG so that government will have confidence that there are systems and processes and quality assurance is there to ensure that the water is produced under WHO (World Health Organisation) standards and is safe for residents of Goroka,” Maru said.