State Owned Entity, Eda Ranu, has warned members of the commercial sector to refrain from illegal water connections.
Board Chairperson, Mary Karo, said today that it was disappointing to find that certain property developers and commercial houses in Port Moresby have made illegal connections to Eda Ranu’s mains.
Without releasing any names, one organisation has been found to have made illegal connections and has been advised to remove the connection and pay up as well.
Mrs Karo called on other perpetrators in the commercial sector to “stop this nonsense.”
She said Eda Ranu is paying for treated water from Mt Eriama, and bills received from clients go towards maintaining the pipework’s and services rendered.
Eda Ranu’s Chief Executive Officer, Henry Mokono, said since the current Board took office in 2013, it has worked with three of the Moresby MP’s including the Governor to see over 70 connections.
These connections are in planned and unplanned settlements, as well as surrounding Motu-Koita villages with subsidised costs as part of Eda Ranu’s community service obligations. They are controlled by Water Committees.
However, he said communities are not honoring their responsibilities of paying between K10-K20 per month.
Some of these communities now have outstanding water bills of between K200,000 to K300,000.
Mr Mokono said Port Moresby is growing exponentially and the road networks have improved significantly. As a utility company, he said Eda Ranu has a team of the ground working alongside these developments.
Mr Mokono said Eda Ranu does not compromise water quality, which is in tune with the Millennium Development Goal’s. However, illegal connections can compromise water quality as the water systems become exposed and can lead to water-borne diseases.
Mrs Karo said a master plan for NCD is needed for Eda Ranu to go by. She added that a Technical Engineer from Eda Ranu needs to be on the NCDC Building Board to alleviate some of these issues.
Eda Ranu is currently working on a design, scope, and costings for prepaid meters to be used in the future to address the non-payment of water bills.
In the meantime, Eda Ranu has also warned staffs that are collaborating with perpetrators that they will be dealt with by management.
