More than 500 people in the Pindiu area of Morobe Province, are in need of urgent food supplies after a series of landslides destroyed food gardens and water sources.
Ward councilor, Melgibs Tiwang, made a two-day journey to reach Lae to pass on information and pictures to the Provincial Disaster office. The villages affected include Afong and Jeriweri located on the ridges of rugged terrain.
“All our gardens are on the hillsides and in the valleys. The landslides destroyed everything,” Tiwang said.
The villagers used mobile phone cameras to document the damage. The images and videos show widespread damage to food crops grown on the hillsides. Because of the isolation of the villages, it took the councilor two days to get from Pindiu to Finschhafen then to Lae to give a report to the Provincial Disaster and Emergency Service.
“It cost us at least K1000 to travel. A lot of people are affected by the continuous rain and they need help.”
Pindiu is in an isolated part of the Finschhafen District. The villages are spread out over mountainous terrain. Some areas are totally cut off without road access. There have been 15 separate landslides reported so far, and as the rains continue, community leaders say the situation is getting desperate for the people. So far, there has been no response from members of the District Administration who are reportedly in Port Moresby for a meeting.
