Displaced people of Manam Island in need of help

Water well at the Kuluguma village in Asuramba Care Centre have dried up *(Supplied)*

The Internally Displaced People of Manam Island in Madang Province are calling on the Madang Government and the National Government for immediate help as they struggle to cope with the effects of the prolonged El Nino climate.

Ward councillor for Kuluguma village at Asuramba Care Centre, Charles Yanda, the told NBC News on Friday that the people are struggling every day to make ends meet.

Their food gardens have withered, and all their water sources have dried up.

They are now resorting to the sea for their supply of water.

"All three care centres, Asuramaba, Pottsdam, and Mangem, are facing the same problem.

"Whatever food crops we have in our gardens have died. Our old water pumps need replacements as they are no longer working.

"The longer this El Nino period continues, we will be faced with severe hunger. Even our children are no longer attending classes full time because there is no fresh water in the schools and food is becoming scarce. We need food rations and clean drinking water for now," Yanda said.

He said the current situation could trigger off an outbreak of diseases at the care centres.

Councillor Yanda stated," We are worried that if there is an outbreak of some kind of diseases here, we have no medicines at our aid posts. Our aid posts are empty. We are often just given prescriptions and told to buy medicines at the market at Malala or from the pharmacies in town, which are quite expensive.

Mr Yanda said ward councillors and recorders in the care centres, and on the islands, Manam and Boisa have compiled reports on the situations in their respective communities, which they have furnished to the President of Iabu Local Level Government, Kenny Boli; to present to the Madang Provincial Government for possible assistance.

Food gardens of communities on the Island have dried up due to the pro-longed El-Nino weather *(Supplied)*

The current household population captured the El Nino report is 18, 337, inclduding Manam and Boisa islands.

Last week, Madang Governor Ramsey Pariwa announced that the Madang Provincial Government was scaling down on sectoral funding support in the Provincial Administration.

He said the Madang government was shifting its focus more towards the province's El Nino response efforts with support from the National Government.