More than 15,000 people living in the Gelegele Resettlement area in Kombiu LLG of Rabaul District, East New Britain Province, will soon benefit from a Rural Water Supply Reticulation Project aimed at improving access to clean and reliable drinking water.
The project stems from fruitful discussions between ENB Governor Michael Marum and aid donor, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The initiative is also supported by the ENB Governor’s Office and the Rabaul District Development Authority.
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Governor Marum invited humanitarian specialists Bret Dandoy and his wife to visit the Gelegele Resettlement area last year, where they witnessed first-hand the need for a proper rural water supply reticulation system to serve the growing communities.
During the visit, the team inspected two existing boreholes located at Waterhouse Junior High School and Gelegele Health Centre that had ceased to function 30 years ago, identifying opportunities to properly utilize them to supply water closer to households across surrounding wards.
Speaking on Friday (March 6) at Waterhouse Junior High School, Elder Dandoy said the aim of the project is to ensure families have reliable access to safe drinking water.
“Clean drinking water, year-round, 24 hours a day — that’s our goal that we are hoping to achieve through this project,” Elder Dandoy said.
“From our visit, we realized that having access to more water will allow you to grow even more in your gardens and become more self-reliant and productive,” he said.
“We are grateful for church members and many non-church members who donate money to the church to support these types of projects around the world. We undertake similar projects in almost 200 countries with volunteer couples like us,” Elder Dandoy said.
Elder Dandoy also stressed the importance of having an ongoing maintenance program to ensure the project continues to function effectively once it is completed.
Himson Novulu from Hornet Consultants PNG Ltd, who is engaged in community mobilization, said the project is progressing well and is currently about 50 percent into the drilling stage.
Mr. Novulu said the first phase of drilling by WKB Drilling Contractors has been completed at Gelegele Health Centre, with drilling works now underway at Waterhouse Junior Memorial High School.
He explained that stage two of the project has also commenced, focusing on training and awareness forward leaders so they can learn how to properly manage and maintain the water systems.
Local youths will also be engaged to dig trenches to enable pipes to be laid from the boreholes and wells, bringing water closer to families.
Mr. Novulu said stage three of the project will involve the establishment of LLG WaSH Committees and Ward WaSH Sub-Committees, which will later be formally inducted to oversee the management and sustainability of the rural water supply system in their respective wards.
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He added that the project is particularly important for the Gelegele Resettlement communities, which experienced severe drought conditions in 2022, highlighting the urgent need for a reliable and sustainable water source.