BY LIONEL TAORAO
FREELANCE JOURNALIST
COMMUNITIES on Ulawa Island in the Makira Ulawa Province are currently experiencing the worst rainy season in the past few days resulting in major flooding across the island.
Reports say that many communities around Ulawa have been flooded and at some places, food gardens were damaged and recently harvested root crops (yam and Pana) stored at garden houses were washed away in the flood.
People claim that in some areas, the flood rose up to about a meter which makes it difficult for people to go to their gardens to get food.
A Mr Dennis Waapu from Rongolelei village in the North Ulawa Ward say that the flood has covered all their food gardens and the people there now feared that they will go hungry in the coming months as a result of this.
“ Our food gardens were all submerged in water. We are now worried that our families will have no root crops and vegetables in the coming months because gardens were now destroyed” Mr Waapu says.
He said that he is calling on those responsible to urgently send their people to areas affected so that an assessment can be done and they can see what they can do to assist those affected.
“ I am calling on the Disaster office to send their officers to Ulawa to urgently assess the situation so that we can get assistance for our people, especially our old people and a few living with disabilities in our communities”, he adds.
The heavy rainfall has caused small streams and rivers around the island to be flooded and makes water sources for drinking dirty and muddy.
Areas reported to be much affected are communities in Ward One and Mwajoa plains in Ward Three.
Many people are now worried that this heavy rainfall which started on Thursday last week and until Monday this week will affect their gardens and can result in many people facing food shortages in the coming months.
At Su’u Moli Aroaha and Other nearby villages, the heavy rainfall in the past few days has flooded the village where children can be seen paddling in canoes in the village.
The heavy rainfall has caused small streams and rivers around the island to be flooded and makes water sources for drinking dirty and muddy.
Many families with lower kitchens have to go to other families to use their kitchens to cook for them since their kitchens were flooded with water.
The floods have now subsided and things are getting back to normal.
