500,000 PNG people face famine<\/p>\n
PORT MORESBY (Reuters): An estimated 500,000 people in Papua
\nNew Guinea (PNG) are in urgent need of food and water, according
\nto an official assessment of the worst drought to hit the South
\nPacific nation in 50 years.<\/p>\n
PNG drought relief coordinator Peter Barter called on the
\ngovernment yesterday to release Kina 20 million (US$14 million)
\nfor drought relief as effects of the El Nio weather pattern bite
\nhard.<\/p>\n
\"It is important that supplies of rice, flour and oil be
\npurchased immediately so that Australian defense aircraft, due to
\narrive next week, could be utilized effectively in distributing
\nrelief supplies without any further delays,\" Barter said in a
\nstatement.<\/p>\n
The initial findings of a 1,000-page drought report by 13
\nAustralian teams who have visited more than 500 villages across
\nthe mountainous, jungle-clad nation were released yesterday.<\/p>\n
The report assessed that some 500,000 people in 184 districts
\nwere critically affected by shortages of food and water, Barter
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The PNG government had earlier estimated up to 700,000 of its
\n4.3 million citizens may be affected by the drought.<\/p>\n
Almost 100 people are believed to have died as a result of the
\ndrought, government officials said. Most of the dead were either
\nelderly or children and had succumbed to illnesses including
\ndysentery and influenza.<\/p>\n
Relief officials and international aid workers have said that
\nno one in PNG is known to have starved to death.<\/p>\n
The drought report, now the basis for a national emergency
\nplan, graded each region on a scale of one to five, with five the
\nmost severely affected.<\/p>\n
Barter said about 90,000 people were living in the most
\nseverely ravaged areas where they had no food, water or income.<\/p>\n
About half of that number were living in villages where there
\nwere no roads, so their situation was even more critical, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"Those numbers are going to increase from three to four and
\nfour to five very quickly, and probably it will peak out in mid-
\nNovember or at the end of November.\"<\/p>\n
But Barter said it was impossible to predict when the drought
\nwould ease.<\/p>\n
\"Although it may have rained in some areas, it could be months
\nbefore food gardens became more productive and it was important
\nthat some of the funds be used to restore gardens' rural water
\nsupplies,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Barter said only K4 million ($2.6 million) had been given to
\nprovincial governments so far to fight the drought. Assistance
\nhad been requested from Australia for support helicopters and
\naircraft, he said.<\/p>\n
The Australian air force last month delivered emergency
\nsupplies to parts of PNG virtually inaccessible by land.<\/p>\n
Barter said the effects of the drought could last into 1998.<\/p>\n
About 50 percent of the country's schools had been closed as a
\nside effect of the drought as people searched for food. Schools
\ncould possibly remain closed in the long term if villagers were
\nunable to pay school fees, he said.<\/p>\n
The drought has also had a major impact on the country's
\nresources industry, bringing projects to a grinding halt.<\/p>\n
Copper-laden barges remain marooned on the Fly River due to
\nthe drought that has halted operations at the Ok Tedi copper
\nmine.<\/p>\n
The giant Porgera gold mine in the highlands returned to full
\nmilling capacity only at the beginning of the month, after
\noperations were suspended on Sept. 6 when reserves of water fell
\nto critical levels.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/500000-png-people-face-famine-1447893297",
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