By Jack Lapauve Jr – EM TV News, Port Moresby
The dry being experienced in the Southern Highlands Province has placed financial pressure on Mendi town residents.
Residents and business houses have been paying for water trucks to supply water, with the people of Mendi saying that this exercise is becoming too expensive.
Maranda Lodge caretaker Somin Ong says 10 rounds of water refilling is costing them around K1,000 per day.
Ong says this will stress their budgets as the dry season extends to mid next year.
“This exercise is becoming expensive and we are spending outside our cost estimates to have water in the lodge and even houses,” Ong said.
For town residents the last four months have seen them buying water almost twice a week, or for some every day. Education institutions are also being affected, and so to is the Mendi Hospital.
Catholic Health Secretary, Winnie William, says health campaigns have also been carried out to prevent people from buying food cooked from unknown water sources. She says this mainly relates to flour balls and hot scones being sold on the streets as fast food.
Residents are now calling on the town authority to put in place a proper water system for the urban setting.
