Port Moresby – On 19-21 September 2024, essential food items including canned fish, iodized salt, sugar, cooking oil, and rice were distributed to 1,023 households (approximately 5,127 individuals) in Mulitaka.

This initiative, funded by the Governments of Japan, France, the Republic of Korea, and the European Union, was carried out by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with the National Disaster Centre and local authorities in Enga province.

Beneficiary households included members from the Yambali, Pokolip, Kaundak, and Yuayong tribes. These households were affected by a landslide in Mulitaka, an area identified as high-risk for further landslides based on a geotechnical survey conducted by a technical team from New Zealand. The assessment determined that the Mulitaka area is unsafe for resettlement.

“Our village was destroyed by the landslide. We are displaced and unable to tend to our gardens or pursue our livelihoods. We desperately needed food, and this assistance is timely,” said a Yambali woman.

The displaced individuals remain in the landslide risk zone, with some staying with host families as they await permanent relocation solutions through the Enga Provincial Disaster Relief Committee.

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For more information, please contact IOM Port Moresby:

Peter Murorera, Tel: +675 321 36 55, Email: pmurorera@iom.int
Anne Mandal, Tel: +675 72026763, Email: amandal@iom.int