After more than two months of being cut off from the rest of Chimbu, the road to Mt. Wilhelm in the Gembogl district was cleared last week.
This was done through the joint effort of Community based organization, the Kumura Foundation, the Gembogl District Development Authority, and landowners.
Following the road clearance, two local trade store owners became the first people to transport goods from Kundiawa into the area. The road blockage caused by a landslide back in April cut off-road access and killed ten people, destroying gardens and other properties, affecting the flow of service delivery into the area.
According to Kumura Foundation’s director, Vincent Kumura, this affected SME’s, coffee farmers, schools, and healthcare services in the Bundi District in Madang as well because they access much of their services from Kundiawa.
The foundation under its Community Service Focus met with landowners in the disaster area who cooperated to have the road cleared, with machinery and fuel support from the district and provincial authorities.
Mr. Kumura said while the road access is now cleared allowing services to resume, there is still work to be done. He is calling on the responsible district and provincial authorities and other stakeholders to support.
