WATER WOES for WOMEN IN PNG: NO RUNNING WATER FOR 50 YEARS

 

POREBADA WOMEN PROTEST OVER LACK OF WATER

We won't move until the MP gets here and address us on our water issues.

 
 
FOR half a century, life has been the same for Mauri Morea – especially in accessing fresh drinking water – at her motuan

village of Porebada outside Port Moresby.
 
Every day for the past 50 years, Mauri and the women from her village have grown used to the daily routine – wake up early, collect your water container, and head for the only well near the village.
 
On Thursday, Mauri, whose name actually means ‘life’ in Hiri Motu, congregated a hundred women and children and marched from their village to the Roku-Napanapa turnoff to protest their lack of ‘mauri’ giving fresh water.
 
The Porebada women disrupted traffic to the Napanapa plant site to demand that their new Hiri Koiari MP Keith Iduhu address their needs and assure them that a steady supply of water will reach their village.
 
Porebada is the second biggest Motuan village after Hanuabada along the Papuan coastline.
 
It is one of four main villages outside the PNG LNG site near Lealea which is supposed to be covered by community agreements for water supply.

I will chop you with my axe if you don't fix my water!

 
However, there is still no permanent water supply to the big village. Sometimes, water carts supply the mothers at a cost.

This has taken the steam out of the Motuan mothers.
 
About 100 mothers took empty water containers and walked from the village to the main road and stopped all traffic from getting to and from the Napanapa site and other shipping companies.
 
It’s a daily struggle the women shared of having to wake up early in the morning, walk down to a bridge where the main pipe is located, collect their water and with the heavy burden of the containers, the women walk back home to ensure their families have water.
 
Mauri Morea, a 50-year-old mother, said that the blocking of the road was to ensure their cries were heard.
 
“We are mothers, we have children, we have grand children we even have great grand children, water is life, and when we don’t have water what we will do, without water our children cannot go to school, workers cannot go to work.”
 
“Without water we can get sick, we are surviving, but we cannot continue to do this of carrying water several kilometers from the main road into the village,” Mrs Morea said.

The old water well from 1968.

 
“Its long, hard and it’s a job that is continued struggle for the families.”
 
Mrs Taboro Morea said that the water issue is taking too long.
 
“We have argued with our leaders for not solving this problem, but they said they are doing their work, but we have to make some noise so the leaders come.
 
“Water is a basic need, for almost two to three months we have come to collect water from the main pipe,” she said.
 
And the struggle has seen 5000 families having their lives disrupted after the entire village of Porebada had no water for a couple of days forcing children and workers to remain at home.
 
Workers from the major companies were stranded along the road as they waited to see the outcome of the protest.

Aerial shot of Porebada village, pinched from Ms Julie Vele's page.

 
Police officers who arrived at the scene tried to move the women, but the women remained firm in their resolve to protest and make their hardships known to the public.
 
The appearance of a water truck did little to sway the women in moving; they allowed the truck and its driver through but told the driver he would be stuck on the other side while they made their point.
 
Mrs Taboro Morea said that the water issue is taking too long.

“We have argued with our leaders for not solving this problem, but they said they are doing their work, but we have to make some noise so the leaders come.”
 
“Water is a basic need, for almost two to three months we have come to collect water from the main pipe,” she said.
 
According to the villagers Mr Iduhu had visited them after they had been sitting there for several hours however if Water PNG does not respond quickly they will once again block the road.

Mama Pawa stops Napa Napa traffic.