The July 31st planned maintenance by Water PNG to be carried on the damaged waterpipe at Tabeani village of lower Koiari, is being challenged by the locals.
The locals are building makeshift shelters on the only access road leading into the damage pipe site while awaiting the response from the Water PNG and the government.
Water PNG is planning a repair work on the damaged pipe that run’s from Rouna into Mt. Eriama water treatment plant at 14 mile outside Port Moresby. The repair work is schedule to take place four days from today.
Behori clan leader and Chairman Foxie Kaeaka noted that there are deep-seated legacy issues dating back many years that need to be addressed.
One of the issues is the exploration of human remains at Mt. Eriama treatment plant site by Water PNG.
“If they do not address our issues, we will not allow access to the leaking site. The interest of the people of Behori is as equal as those locals where gas pipelines run on their land. If the gas lines can be treated with paramount importance why not for this pipe line here,” Kaeaka said.
On behalf of Behori and its sister clans, Kaeaka said they continue to be neglected despite countless efforts to address what is rightfully theirs.
“The issue is, PNG Water excavated some of our ancestral remains at Mt. Eriama including human bones, clay pots and other things. We wrote to Water PNG telling them to compensate us. To date nothing has been done,” Kaeaka said.
This newsroom visited the damaged pipe site and confirmed that the locals are currently clearing the area and exposing the pipe to allow Water PNG to do the repair. However, the locals are planning on blocking off the access road to the site if their demands are not met.
Kaeaka stated that they own the land that hosts Water PNG pipes and PNG Power lines. Therefore, all they want is for a meeting and answers to their queries.
The damaged pipe is buried about 6-12 feet underground and is currently sucking in the polluted Whisky Creek that serves the nearby community into the pipe and supplying it to the treatment plant.
Water PNG in their recent notice outlined that the repair work will commence four days from today.
