The Bulolo district joint district budget planning and priorities
committee (JDPBPC) under the chairmanship of local MP Sam Basil has
endorsed the social mapping study to be undertaken at by Social
Environmental Research and Consultancy Services (SERACS) Ltd, a
research and consultancy group specialising in anthropological, social
and environmental research.
The project is an initiative of the local member Sam Basil and
villagers that have been affected over the year.
Bulolo MP Sam Basil said: "I want to be proactive in addressing
land-related issues, and social mapping is the way forward in my
electorate as there is a lot of mineral resource development and
exploration taking place, and if we are not proactive in addressing
this issues, law and order problems arising from land disputes are
likely to happen, and has already happened in the Wau Bulolo
District".
The Bulolo district JDBPPC has approved K250, 000 funding of the
project with the first trench payment of K100, 000.
The social mapping study that would be undertaken by SERACS would
focus on the systematic collection of information on customary social
groups and the tracts of land they are associated with.
The team leader of SERACS Dr Rodney Kameata highlighted at the
presentation to the members of the Bulolo JDPBPC that "social mapping
study should entail an understanding of the cultural and historical
factors that have shaped the relationship between people and their
environment".
The local level government council presidents present at the JPPBPC
meeting and the Bulolo district public servants appreciated that Mr
Basil is being proactive in addressing a lot of the land-related
issues, and setting the foundation for any land-based developments
that would be taking place in his electorate.
John Yawa, president of the Wau LLG said: "A lot of the land issues
in the electorate are outstanding, and the initiative of social
mapping is a means to provide empirical evidence and information in
relation to land and customary rights.
"We the LLG presidents appreciate the move."
Another LLG president Mathias Philip said: "While mineral exploration
and development is on the boom in the district, the developers and the
agencies of the state need to proactively work with the customary
landowners, and guide them through.
"Such is not happening and the initiative is priority in the Bulolo district."
Mr Basil said that this initiative of social mapping should be the
first undertaken when a developer first enters customary land,
however, has not happened much.
Population growth has also created an unprecedented growth of villages
expanding with spillover effects resulting in unwarranted casualties,
loss of lives and assets from related land disputes.
The social mapping project is the best way forward for everybody
especially making vital information available for our future
generations to use.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Spotlight on LNG project
LNG Watch Papua New
More information about the project and its administrator is available on the LNG Watch blog:http://lngwatchpng.blogspot.
Books for students
Zion Zeal Christian Academy children in Waigani, NCD, reading the Hunting
for Minerals and Oil in Papua
New Guinea books they received from a surprise
visit by Oil Search personnel yesterday, The National reports.
The books, published by the PNG Chamber
of Mines and Petroleum, attempt to give primary school children a better
understanding of how minerals and oil are discovered and developed. – Picture
courtesy of Oil Search Ltd
Bligh bats for PNG hydro-power plan
QUEENSLAND premier Anna Bligh has talked up the potential of two big renewable energy projects in North Queensland and Papua New Guinea’s Purari River, saying they could help the region take the “next giant leap forward”, The National reports.
She also quelled fears the PNG scheme could hurt renewable energy proposals in
The 50-50 owned Australian-based energy company Origin Energy and PNG Sustainable Development Program’s ambitious plans to build a multi-billion-dollar hydro-electric plant in Gulf near
The Townsville Bulletin yesterday, reporting on Bligh’s six-day visit to the North Queensland, said a host of renewable energy projects had been mooted along what had been dubbed the clean energy corridor between Townsville and
A BIS Schrapnel report has found there was potential for 900MW of installed renewable capacity to be connected to the grid through an AC transmission line by 2015-16 - 300MW in baseload power from biomass and solar thermal sources and another 600MW from wind power.
The newspaper reported that Origin Energy was assessing the potential for an 1800MW hydro-electric scheme on the
There have been fears the PNG scheme could ruin plans for
Bligh said the two projects complemented one another while O’Brien said the increasing demand for electricity meant the region would need all the sources of power it could get to meet requirements.
“I think the Townsville community, particularly the business community, understands that reliable base-load power is critical to this economy taking its next great leap forward,” Bligh said.
AusAID to cut down on advisers
AUSTRALIA will sack more than a third of AusAID advisers in an attempt to eliminate waste in the nation’s A$457 million PNG assistance programme, a move immediately welcomed by the Somare government, The National reports.
Australian foreign minister Kevin Rudd yesterday advised his PNG counterpart Sam Abal of the government’s decision to make big cuts in the ranks of the 487 Australian advisers working on PNG aid.
Rudd said a review of the PNG-Australia development cooperation treaty had found “widespread dissatisfaction with the aid programme” and the “capacity building through advisers model is not working”.
A string of negative reports about Australia’s PNG aid programme have pointed to a pattern of waste through spending on consultancies and training, as well as exorbitant salaries.
In June, it was revealed that one aid adviser working in PNG was on a package of A$55,000 a month. However, Rudd did not provide details of which positions would be axed.
“The review considered 487 positions. An outcome of this review is that PNG and
National Planning Minister Paul Tiensten last night welcomed the decision.
“This is consistent with our view. But, maybe, they should go a step further by tying the Australian aid to our budget, so we fund the Australian taxpayers funding our programmes directly.
“The medium-term development plan will be reflected in our national budget starting next year, and the Australian taxpayers can be assured they will get results for their dollar,” Tiensten said.
Tiensten added: “This is a good start for the re-elected Labor government,” Tiensten said.
Rudd told the Australian media building up skills in PNG would be a high priority for
“The Australian government is committed to strengthening the aid programme and ensuring value for money across all the development assistance programmes,” Rudd said.
Jenny Howard Jones, from the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, said the sharp cut in the number of technical advisers was a positive move in a prickly situation between PNG and
“Capacity building is still needed in PNG by all means, but the issue has been the proportion of aid to technical assistance,” she said.
“Both sides were frustrated with years spent on capacity building with little to show and, now, with the doubling of
Assistance in areas likely to bring direct benefits, such as the massive ExxonMobil LNG project, was potentially a more effective use of advisers, she said. – AAP
Blackouts threaten Mendi hospital
By YVONNE HAIP
CONSTANT power blackouts in Mendi town, Southern Highlands, is becoming life-threatening for patients at the Mendi General Hospital, chief executive officer Joe Turian warned yesterday, The National reports.
Turian said blackouts was threatening the life of patients put on life support, babies placed in incubators, sterilising machines and other hospital equipment.
He described the electricity service as “appalling”.
He said during many power outages, doctors were in the middle of operations and the situation had become chaotic and life-threatening.
Turian said the oxygen concentrator was also powered by electricity to produce oxygen for patients and, when the supply stayed off for long periods, the patients suffer and will die from oxygen deprivation.
“The hospital operates life-saving machines that depend on electricity and, once the power supply goes off for long periods, patients on lif-saving machines will suffer and die,” he added.
“The hospital depends on electricity to power everything from laundry washing, sterilising machines, fire equipment, water filtration and kitchen equipment, X-ray, dental equipment, incinerator and workshop machine to laboratory equipment and others,” he said.
“We are grateful that we have not lost any patients,” he said.
The hospital gets its power supply from the Ramu grid, operated by PNG Power. It did not have a backup generator until one was donated recently.
But the problem of constant outages seemed to come from interferences to power lines by vandals.
Officers to be deployed to drought-stricken area
By JUNIOR UKAHA
DIRECTOR of the National Disaster Office (NDC), Martin Mose, said provincial disaster officers from Lae will be deployed to the drought-stricken Menyamya area of Morobe, The National reports.
He said his office was made aware of the drought through the media only yesterday and had alerted their officers on the ground in Lae to visit the area, assess the situation and report back to his office.
Mose made this assurance after reading The National’s front page report yesterday.
The head of disaster operations in the nation said as soon as the ground officers in Menyamya submitted their assessments and reports NDC would act accordingly.
“We cannot do anything as yet. We will wait for the report to come to us and then we shall consider appropriate measures to help the affected people,” he said.
According to Mose, the emergency funding earmarked for emergency exercise each year was insufficient and could not cater for disasters of a larger magnitude if it occurs.
He said he could not disclose the amount given by the state to NDC because of protocols and said the chief secretary was the one in charge of the matter.
In the Menyamya case, Mose said if the nature of the drought was not serious and the magnitude was small, than the responsibility of relief and help work will fall back to the hands of the provincial government and provincial disaster offices.
However, he said if the drought was serious and needed immediate attention, then the NDC would come on board and declare a national emergency and would work closely with the provincial governments to help the affected people.
In the meantime, Mose said his office was aware that there would be a “mega drought” in the coming months.
He urged people in affected areas to take measures to help themselves while waiting for NEC to approve his office’s contingency plan for carrying out emergency work in the country.
He said once the national disaster contingency plan was approved, a task force would be set up to oversee the coordination and implementation efforts.
Meanwhile, the fears of the coming dry season was also confirmed by the National Weather Services assistant director for climate and special services, Kasis Inape, who said the normal rain season has been prolonged due to the effects of a previous drought season last year.
Inape also said the clear skies in parts of the country with strong winds blowing were signs that the drought would continue and urged people to be weary.
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