By Sasha Pei-Silovo – EM TV, Port Moresby
As the El Nino weather pattern continues to make its presence felt across Papua New Guinea, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville is fearful for the worst as severe weather takes a toll on crop gardens and water sources.
Reports on the ground confirm that although there has been rainfall in some areas, locals feel that the situation is likely to worsen as water levels drop and are most likely to stay that way should the prolonged dry season continue.
In an interview with Radio New Zealand, Bougainville’s Disaster Coordinator, Franklin Lacey, stated that officials from the national government had arrived in the autonomous region to carry out an assessment of the situation.
He said that he hoped their findings would enable the Autonomous Region of Bougainville to receive funding assistance in order to provide adequate relief efforts.
Provinces in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, East New Britain and other areas have been severely affected by drought and frost with scores of rural communities hit hard by food scarcity and water sources drying up. There have been reports of deaths with food gardens destroyed and waterborne diseases on the rise.
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