By: Julie Badui Owa -EMTV News, Goroka
According to the National WaSH Coordinator, Takale Tuna, only 3.2 million people from PNG’s population of 8 million have access to clean water supply.
Goroka District is one of the impacted district that is ready to implement phase two of the Government’s WaSH project in the 200 villages of the district.
The five-year project is expected to provide clean water and improve the health and well-being of almost one hundred thousand people of Goroka.
The WASH project was launched this morning at Goroka’s National Park in front of a large crowd.
The project is expected roll out in 50 schools, nine health centers and 200 communities of Goroka District.
This project is the National Government’s policy to have access to clean and safe water supply sanitation and improved hygiene.
The WASH project here in Goroka was funded by European Union at a cost of K20 million.
EU has been supporting access to clean water and sanitation in PNG through successive projects since the 1990s.
Three other districts which had launched the WASH Project are Nawaeb in Morobe, Hagen Central in Western Highlands and Central Bougainville Region.
The Goroka District Development Authority will work with Oxfam, to develop a five-year plan and implement the project.
So far, 160 thousand people, including 40 thousand children from 200 schools, 36 health centers and 800 communities across all the four districts in PNG will have benefitted from improved access to WaSH services, at the end of the project in 2021.
