By Alice Osii
The Warapu village in the Aitape West LLG of Aitape-Lumi District in West Sepik Province is among areas affected by the wet season with locals expressing that the village is slowly being destroyed by flood.
A boat owner and village elder, Freddy Yenre expressed that the river passage that allows their dinghy to travel up the village has become shallow from the sand deposits piled up in the river during the flood experienced during the wet season.
He said it has become difficult for him to attract passengers as it now takes nearly 20 minutes to reach the mouth of the river that connects the Sissano Lagoon, which usually takes 3 to 5 minutes 7 years ago.
The village elder said the lagoon where they normally catch fish for food or a living is also becoming shallow and they can no longer make a good catch.
“The fish that we catch have somehow grew smaller; its alarming that we can no longer catch average sized fish that we normally catch some 7-10 years ago,” he said.
Yenre also shared that transporting of referred patients to nearby health care centers or the Hospital has become quite risky as it takes more than 30 minutes to reach the end of the river and another 20 minutes to reach the nearby Olbrum health care center for medical assistance. He added that sometimes asthmatic and elderly patients die during transportation.
He further highlighted that cash crops in the village are dying due to flooding and there seems the villagers could do about it.
“I am appealing to the government authorities concerned to hear our plea and assist us where necessary,” Yenre said.
“We are still living in a disastrous state despite our relocation after the 1998 Tsunami in Aitape,” he said.
Yenre said because most of their cash crops like sago palms, coconut trees, betel-nut and even cocoa are dying, people are migrating to town areas.
