ABOUT 1500 people in a remote Papua New Guinea village can drink water from a tap for the first time, thanks to money raised by several community groups, including Mount Martha Rotary Club.
Previously, women and children from Sigri, in the highlands near Mount Hagen, had to walk more than one kilometre to bring home water in buckets.
Several of the village’s building had metal roofing but, without gutters, no water was being collected and stored.
Mount Martha Rotary set up a project through Rotary Australia World Community Service to raise money to provide Sigri with a reliable water source.
The money to install water tanks and piping came from Mount Martha, Warrnambool Rotary, Dragon Boats Australia and individual donations.
Although there was no cement mixer, wheelbarrow and other tools for the job water tanks are now resting on concrete slabs and 600 metres of pipes with taps installed.
The local council leader helped obtain an additional 9500 litre water tank bringing the village’s storage capacity to 38,000 litres.
Details or to find out more about Mount Martha Rotary go to www.mountmartharotary.org.au, Facebook or call 0405 145 684.
First published in the Mornington News – 18 January 2022
