Easing Madang’S Dry

Season Troubles

THE Papua-New Guinea Admini stration has decided to equip its own houses at Madang with extra rainwater tanks and is urging private owners to do likewise. This follows a recent drought, when water has had to be carted from the Gum River, and then boiled to make it safe to drink.

The official opinion is that Mad mg will not have a reticulated water service for at least five years [for which read ten years!) and ;hat tanks are the only immediate inswer.

Until comparatively recently, ;anks have been in short supply n New Guinea, as they have in Australia, and some of the methods >f maintaining household supplies lave been extremely crude.

In Kavieng, which is probably the east “rehabilitated” town in the Gerritory, the roofing on Admini tration houses is still mostly hatch, with a small piece of gal anised iron on the kitchen quar ers which serves as the rain catch lent area. More often than not, the tanks” are salvaged 44-gallon rums. While these conditions pre ail there is certain to be a panic eriod whenever there are two or tiree weeks without rain.

Port Moresby is the only town i the Territory that has water re

ticulation and, according to some householders who live on the heights, there is often not much reticulation about that, either.