Ann: Update on Earthquake in PNG Highlands, page-2

Port Moresby Post-Courier
OSH  may have to do more for the locals to enable them to continue
You can't rely on the  PNG Govt.

February 28, 2018

05:00 PM
By KEVIN TEME
There is call out to the Government for intervention by relatives and family members of the victims in the earthquake-stricken province to find ways to relocate the people.
Peter Hamalo Dul, a former CID officer from the National Fraud squad said the National government must call Hela and SHP as a state of the emergency province and start looking at options to relocate its people that are greatly being affected by the earthquake that hit 7.6 magnitude mark.
Hamalo Dul, a bachelor degree holder in Political Science at the University of PNG said the earthquake is not a natural thing as it has never happened before especially in the part of the Highlands region.
He, however, blamed it for over extracting of mineral resources by various LNG companies and urge the government to find an alternative to relocate the people that are affected by the earthquake.
“As we speak the earthquake is still happening and people can fill that in Ialibu, Mt Hagen, Pangia and other parts of the Highlands region as well. This is happening because we have sucked so much from the land and the impacts are showing,” Hamalo said.
Hamlao Dul from Muguvi village in the Nipa-Kutubu district confirmed that various villages in that district as well as in Mendi have all been destroyed by the earthquake.
“Six people have died in Yakinda and Boguale village in Kutubu. In Nipa where I come from, all the permanent houses have been ransacked. In Haralinja village almost 20 houses or so are being destroyed while Mugupi, Poya and Ungupi villages are totally destroyed including houses, food gardens and the surrounding environment,” Hamalo Dul said.
Dul said all the communication lines have been cut off and certainly there are more damages including people’s lives at risk.
“We will be expecting more deaths if the government does not find solutions to move out the people from this affected areas,” Dul said.