Water supply restored in Popondetta

 By HELEN TARAWA  

WATER supply to Popondetta town has been restored after the dam burst – the second time this year – following a downpour last Wednesday.

Oro provincial administrator Sem Vegogo confirmed that rain had resulted in flooding at the Bangoho River – the main source of water for town supply.

The disruption to the water supply forced schools to close while the local hospital only attended to emergency cases.

The Popondetta town water supply situation was raised in Parliament recently. Water PNG and other state-owned entities were blamed for it.

Minister for Public Enterprise and State Investment William Duma said the failure to deliver such services was a reflection of the incompetence of state-owned entities.

Ijivitari MP David Arore had raised the issue about the Popondetta town water supply being a problem since Cyclone Guba in 2007. He said a permanent facility needed to be built since the current one had been damaged by continuous flooding.

Vegogo said the Oro government held two meetings with Water PNG on the current status of the town water supply.

Meanwhile, Vegogo said heavy flooding affected the wet crossing at the Girua Bridge. 

Earlier this year, the Bailey bridge was swept away, forcing engineers and contractors in the province to build a wet crossing.

The downpour on Wednesday night destroyed the road again, causing more damage and cutting off services from Oro Bay, the Girua Airport and Popondetta town.