Funds released for residents of sinking isles
By THERESA AME
THE FIRST batch of the Government's K500,000 assistance to the residents of
Cataret island and nearby islands has been released.
The island has been victim to rising sea levels for years, which meant that
the people's traditional food gardens were being gradually depleted by the
seawaters. Deputy Prime Minister and Member for North Bougainville Michael
Ogio received a cheque
for K200,000 yesterday from Provincial and Local Level Minister Iairo Lasaro.
Mr Lasaro said during the presentation that the islanders have suffered a lot
and have gone without sufficient food and drinking water for months. Mr Ogio
said that climate change has become one of the biggest problems affecting the
Pacific islands.He said that because the problem will persist, "we have to
look at long term plans of relocating these islanders to the mainland"."In
1988, the Bougainville provincial government recognised this problem and
allocated land at Kuberia to have islanders relocated there due to the
Bougainville crisis, the scheme did not get underway," he explained.Mr Ogio
said that it is now time to get the scheme going again as people of Cataret
island need to be relocated.Mr Lasaro also called on other maritime provinces
to consider the possibility that they would be similarly affected."East New
Britain province has drawn up a K30 million plan that is now being worked on
as a basis for planning relocations. However, individual islands have varying
population sizes, so we need some plans in place to get us prepared," Mr
Lasaro said.He also made an urgent plea to business houses to come forward and
assist the people on these sinking islands with relief supplies.
Wilfred Lus
Geology Department
University of PNG
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