PAPUA NEW GUINEA Ramu River below Yonki dam Spillway 1. COUNTRY INTRODUCTION Description: Economy: Located directly north of Australia and east of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has vast reserves of Indonesia, in between the Coral Sea and the natural resources, but exploitation has been South Pacific Ocean, Papua New Guinea (PNG) hampered by rugged terrain, land tenure issues, comprises several large high volcanic islands and and the high cost of developing infrastructure. numerous volcanic and coral atolls. PNG has the The economy is focused mainly on the extraction largest land area found within the Pacific Island and export of the abundant natural resources. Countries with an area of over 462,840kms2. The Mineral deposits, including copper, gold, and highest point is Mount Wilhelm at 4,509m. The oil, account for nearly two-thirds of the export land is characterised by densely forested steep earnings. Agriculture provides a subsistence catchments, where less than 0.5% of the land area livelihood for 85% of the people. Natural gas is considered arable with an estimated 1.4% of reserves amount to an estimated 227 billion cubic total the land used for permanent crops. meters. A consortium led by a major American oil company is constructing a liquefied natural The 2000 census data identifies a population gas (LNG) production facility that could begin of 5,190,786 (PNG, National Statistics Office), exporting in 2014. As the largest investment with an estimated 87% of the population project in the country’s history, it has the living in rural areas (Demography and Housing potential to double GDP in the near-term and survey, 2006). The 2011 population is estimated triple Papua New Guinea’s export revenue. (CIA at 6,187,591 and growth rate of 2.0 % (CIA WorldFacts, 2011) WorldFacts, 2011). PNG is made up of some 20 provinces and 87 districts, reflecting the diverse Water Availability: nature of the population. The capital of PNG is Water resources include surface fresh water Port Moresby with an estimated population of from streams, rivers, numerous lakes, ponds, 314,000 (CIA WorldFacts, 2009) reservoirs, estuaries and swamps; groundwater Page 81 PAPUA NEW GUINEA from confined and unconfined aquifers; and Moitaka diesel plant generates 30 MW and up freshwater collected from rainwater harvesting. to 30 MW is purchased from the private sector A few commercial establishments in the drier plants. Smaller scale and micro-scale plants also areas of the country operate small desalination generate electricity for resource development, plants to supplement their water supply during commercial and private sector. The countries oil the dry seasons. In 2008, in rural PNG, it was and gas supplies are also used in generating power estimated (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2010) that 33% to meet needs but on a limited basis. Renewables of the rural population have access to improved play a small role and account for around 1% water supplies which include public standpipes, production. Some geothermal energy is produced boreholes, protected wells or springs. In the on islands such as Lihir for mineral processing. urban areas, which PNG Waterboard services, up Health: to 87% (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2010) have access to treated and reticulated water but only 57% It has been estimated that 55% (WHO/UNICEF of the households get piped water directly into JMP, 2010) of the population do not have access their homes. In its nationwide urban water supply to safe sanitation services. Diarrhoea is the network, the PNG Water board has succeeded in number one cause of mortality and morbidity reducing unaccounted for water from the 1987 in the country. The current low access to level of 50% to the present level of 31%. It is unimproved water sources and sanitation facilities estimated that, in total, only 40% of the PNG increased the risk of infectious water borne population has access to improved water supply diseases including cholera and typhoid. Adverse (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2010). impacts on water resources in catchments arise from road construction, agriculture, logging, Island Vulnerability: mining waste and improper disposal of solid and Due to its location on the intersection of the human waste. This is major cause for concern Australian plate and the Pacific plate - being where 67% (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2010) of the situated along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” - many rural population obtain drinking water directly parts of PNG are vulnerable to the effects of from an unimproved source. The Department natural disasters associated with active volcanism. of Health has been promoting better hygiene, These include tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic improved sanitation and proper solid waste eruptions and landslides. Flooding, droughts and disposal throughout the country but it needs the saline intrusion are also common. Wastewater support of other government agencies, provincial discharge from large urban centres, mining, and local level governments as well as NGOs and logging and major agricultural activities, increased the resource development sector. sediment, bacterial and chemical pollution from Environment and Tourism: untreated waste streams and improper solid waste management severely effect natural water sources. PNG has a variety of terrestrial, coastal and As a consequence, aquatic flora and fauna will marine ecosystems ranging from very high continue to be impacted on and the health mountain peaks (Mount Wilhelm at 4,509 of people downstream of these developments meters), through to humid tropical forests and affected. swampy lowlands to pristine coral reefs. Forest cover is the dominant vegetation in Papua New Power generation: Guinea covering 360,000 km2 (78%) of the total Papua New Guinea has large hydropower stations land area. These forests, the extensive mangrove supplying approximately 85% of consumption. forests that characterise the major river deltas They are located at Yonki on the Ramu River along the southern coast of Papua New Guinea (75 MW) in the Eastern Highlands and close and the coral reefs, are all of global biodiversity to Port Moresby on the Laloki River with the significance. The main threats to these Rouna hydro electric scheme (62.2 MW). The interconnected ecosystems are activities such CATALOGUE OF RIVERS FOR PACIFIC ISLANDS Page 82 Lalola Island Resort, Port Moresby as commercial logging, commercial agriculture, bulk of the export industry. Manufacturing, subsistence agriculture, road clearance, mining transportation and communication facilities and petroleum developments, industrial and are poorly developed. Due to the mountainous sewage effluents as well, as indiscriminate topography, air transportation services are the disposal of solid wastes. The impact on primary means of inter provincial transport for watersheds by tourism is minimal mainly because many. the concentration of rural based eco-tourism The country’s population is Melanesian, divided facilities and the annual volume of incoming into more than 500 tribes speaking hundreds tourists are relatively low. of languages and dialects. The three official languages are Tok Pisin (most widely spoken), 2. GEOGRAPHIC English (used by 1-2% of population) and Hiri Moto. Nominally 93 per cent of the population Papua New Guinea is an island country that are Christians, but belief in magic, sorcery, consists of the eastern half of the very large and traditional deities is widespread. Papua island of New Guinea and adjacent islands, the New Guinea is a constitutional parliamentary Bismarck Archipelago, and the northern Solomon democracy with the Prime Minister as the head Islands. Papua New Guinea lays 60 south of the of the government. The Prime Minister is elected Equator, wholly within the tropics and is one by the country’s national legislature, which is of the most primitive areas on earth still having elected by the people. Papua New Guinea is a many remote groups living a traditional tribal member of the Commonwealth, with the chief of lifestyle. The greater part is mountainous, with state the monarchy of England. Great Britain and peaks reaching a maximum height of 4,509 m. Germany divided the eastern half of New Guinea Lowlands are most extensive in the Fly River in 1884 (the Dutch ruled the western half). basin in the southwest and along the Sepik Britain took the southern part, which became the River in the northwest. Except in the highlands Territory of Papua, and held it until 1906, when and high mountains, the climate is hot, humid, control was transferred to Australia. After World and extremely wet with much of the country War I the German portion was mandated to consisting of tropical forests and grasslands. Australia by the League of Nations. The mandate Animal life is diverse and abundant. Primitive became the Trust Territory of New Guinea after subsistence farming, hunting, and fishing support World War II. After 1949 the two territories were most of the country’s people; some tribes in administered as one by Australia, although they the interior still have a Stone Age culture and retained their separate identities. Internal self- some practiced cannibalism and headhunting government was granted in 1973, and the two well into the 21st century. Western culture territories merged to become independent Papua and modern commercial activities are found New Guinea in 1975. mainly in coastal cities and towns. In scattered locations there are modern plantations producing coconuts, cocoa, rubber, palm oil, tea, and coffee. Timber production and mining of gold, copper, nickel, petroleum and natural gas, make up the Page 83 PAPUA NEW GUINEA Map of Papua New Guinea showing Ramu Catchment Source: SOPAC 2010 Soil Map of Papua New Guinea (Bleeker 2003, CSIRO) Source: http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/esdb_archive/eudasm/asia/lists/cpg.htm CATALOGUE OF RIVERS FOR PACIFIC ISLANDS Page 84 Bootless Bay sunset, Port Moresby 3. CLIMATIC afternoon resulting in rain in the late afternoon and evening. Weather in PNG is generally very Papua New Guinea’s climate is tropical, localised and PNG does not experience frontal experiencing monsoonal climate characterized weather as in common in more temperate by high temperatures and humidity throughout areas.