BY MATTHEW VARI

As a sign of appreciation and collaboration with the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Leaders’ Summit calendar, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to open the Port Moresby sewerage system upgrading project alongside Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.
Set for completion in April, the K365 million upgrade would be ready before the summit in November. Head of utility company Eda Ranu’s project management unit, Joseph Jangett, said as of October last year the project was at 70 per cent completion.
“Most of the sewer pump stations are coming to completion. Little bit of work needs to be done. All in all it should be commissioned and tested before APEC. Also in the APEC calender, Mr O’Neill and Mr Abe will launch the completed project.”
Mr Jangett said the new system would now pump treated sewerage waste out to sea.
“The current one is used to collect the household sewer at the old Sea Park (downtown) which pumps untreated sewerage into the sea. There is another one at Davara and another one at Lawes Road. Those are the ones collecting and doing primary treatment and screening suspended solids and directly pumps it out to sea. This project is to basically get all that’s collected but pump it back to our new Joyce Bay treatment plant. From there it will be treated and we will pump that treated waste water into the sea so that is governed by WHO standards.”
The new sewerage system will cater for 18,400 cubic metres of waste at any one time to support a population of 65,000 people and caters for the coastal catchment areas from Kaugere, central business district (downtown), and Konedobu.