The banks of Busu River in Lae is continuing to erode, destroying homes and displacing settlers in the process.
Busu Compound is one of four communities along the river that has been hit the worst.
Over three thousand people have been affected so far and more than twenty houses have been washed away in this year alone.
Settlers to the left side of Busu River are living in fear of been completely displaced at the rate at which the river bank is eroding.
Many have lived here for generations and in the lifestyle of nomads because they had to move several times in a year, every time the river busts its banks.
Buildings which stood for years, like the community church, was washed away in the recent flood weeks ago.
With limited land to move in land, the only option for settlers now is to go back to their villages.
Ngininic Laga settled here 32 year ago and lost his home in the recent flood.
He settled here so his children would get a better education.
Another settler John Timot is also confused and displaced. He recently lost his home work K6,000.
A study in 2014 showed that High flow velocity and flowing pattern were found as the main causes of bank erosion with human activities also contributing to higher riverbank erosion.
There are currently over 5 contracted companies extracting sand and gravel from the river.
Following the river’s recent impact, one of these companies, PNG Ready Mix Concrete is assisting the Provincial Works and Disaster office to divert the course of the river to its original state, which was towards the right.
Two attempts so far have been unsuccessful, when nature took its cause and washed away the barricade.
To address this, Works engineers have moved up the riverbanks to where it’s geographically possible to dig a trench to divert the course of the river to its original state.
Only time will tell whether this approach will be able to withstand the country’s fastest following river.
By Sharlyne Eri, EMTV News, Lae
