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Magarima Station to access clean water
Hela Provincial Administrator Ronny Angu left with helmet, Governor Philip Undialu (white button shirt) and Magarima Secondary School staff and community leaders celebrating the successful borehole drilling at the school yesterday (NBC News)
Magarima Station in Hela Province is set to gain reliable access to clean water following the successful completion of a water borehole drilling project at Magarima Secondary School.
Hela Governor Philip Undialu confirmed the development, noting that the provincial government invested between K250,000 and K450,000 to complete the drilling at the school. The school will act as the primary custodian of the facility, ensuring both students and nearby communities benefit from the supply.
The initiative is part of a broader K5 million provincial program targeting several key sites across the province. Magarima Secondary School represents the fourth successful site, joining Tari Hospital, Komo Secondary School, and the Koroba Catholic Church.
"Access to clean water is a fundamental human right," Governor Undialu stated. "While this response directly addresses the challenges brought on by the El Niño drought, our objective is to provide a sustainable, long-term solution that serves our communities well beyond the current crisis."
In addition to provincial funding, community development partner Hides Gas Gigira Limited (HGGL) has stepped up support. HGGL initially added K7 million to the province’s K5 million budget and has committed an additional K15 million—bringing total combined funding to K27 million.
He said the Hela Provincial Government will be looking at 11 borehole sites while Hides Gas Gigira Limited is 15 borehole sites.
To complement the borehole program, Governor Undialu announced the distribution of 2,200 commercial-grade water purifiers across local-level government (LLG) wards, with each ward slated to receive 3 to 4 units. Magarima Secondary School is scheduled to receive 4 purifiers next week, capable of producing approximately eight cartons of bottled drinking water daily.