By Edwin Fidelis – EM TV News, Kokopo
Rebuilding the volcanic town of Rabaul in East New Britain province has been long and slow.
Yesterday marked one of the events in many months that aimed at keeping its public services alive.
The Rabaul District Administration presented new water tanks and an ambulance to the Rabaul town’s authority to boosts its public service machinery as it focuses on rebuilding the volcano town.
In this small but significant ceremony yesterday the handing over of an ambulance and water tanks from the district’s administration to the Rabaul town Authority aims to beef up its public services in the town.
Such gatherings are few and far between over the years in this volcano town.
And although it represented a hint of political will, Rabaul MP, Dr. Allan Marat, who is also a member of the Opposition has cautioned his people to take heed of PNG’s economic downturn that has set in.
Districts will expect to see a plunge in basic service delivery in the coming months.
It is of common knowledge that Rabaul and its nearby areas won’t be brought back to its glory days.
But in a piecemeal approach, its district government heads are putting in effort to pull together its people and provide them with the services they need.
About 5,000 Rabaul people including people from other ethnic groups live within the town area and many more occupy the outer fringes of the town in the villages.
The remnants of the 1994 volcano eruption are still here and live is as normal, but development here has been long and slow.
Many chose not to come back after the eruption, except for business houses and public servants who are keeping the district’s basic services alive.
While the district is seeing some changes, at least its ultimate aim is to keep its public service machinery alive, and to continue providing services to its people and others who have chosen to live here.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrC6LD-xld0″ width=”300″ height=”200″ showinfo=”no” rel=”no” fs=”no”]
