26 Jun 2007

PNG villagers threaten city water supply to Lae

2:00 pm on 26 June 2007

Butibam villagers in Papua New Guinea have threatened to disrupt water supply to parts of Lae City if their demand for compensation is not met by Friday.

The Post Courier paper reports that the villagers have already dug up the pressure main for the recently installed city water pipeline and said they would damage it if the compensation was not paid to them.

PNG's Waterboard completed the pipe installation in 2004 and parts of the route cross customary land.

A valuation carried out for purposes of compensation for the landowners, and given to government authorities, put the amount at 116 thousand US dollars.

A spokesman for the Butibam villagers, Ali Isaac, said that the people were angry at the Government for not compensating them.