Port Moresby to face weekend water rationing as court orders unblock critical pipeline repairs

Water PNG has secured interim National Court orders to proceed with urgent repairs on a primary water pipeline supplying Port Moresby, following a land access dispute that delayed initial works.

The National Court at Waigani issued orders restraining the Behori Incorporated Land Group, its members, and agents from blocking access to the Rouna 1/3 raw water pipeline.

The critical infrastructure carries approximately half of the capital city's raw water supply. The ruling clears the way for a major partial shutdown of Port Moresby's water supply, now scheduled to run from 10:00pm on Friday, 14 August until 3:00am on Sunday, 16 August.

Water PNG Chief Executive Officer James Young said the city's water supply will be reduced by around half during the repair window, with water rationed across four zones on eight-hour rotations.

"This repair is about preventing something far worse," Young said. "The pipeline is more than sixty years old and it is failing.

"A short, planned, partial shutdown now is how we avoid an uncontrolled burst later, one that could cut more than half the city's water not for a weekend, but for weeks or months, because no spare pipe of this size is held in the country."

Engineers estimate the current leak is losing around 10 million litres of water every day.

Officials warned the wastage poses an immediate risk during an active El Niño period, which is already placing pressure on the Sirinumu catchment - the region's primary source for both drinking water and hydropower.

Water PNG board chairman Meckles Poya welcomed the court's intervention while reaffirming the State Owned Enterprise's intention to maintain a long-term working relationship with traditional landowners.

"We respect the Behori Clan and their deep connection to their land, and at the same time Water PNG has a responsibility under the law to make sure people have safe water," Poya said.

He said Behori-owned contractors had been engaged and paid for preparatory site works, including grading access roads and digging drainage channels, prior to a blockade being erected.

"If the water supply fails, disease can spread, people get sick, and lives can be lost who are often our most vulnerable, our children and the elderly," Poya said.

Water PNG confirmed that full support for the repair program and future pipeline renewal has been backed by the National Government and Kumul Consolidated Holdings.

Detailed zone rationing maps and schedules are expected to be published ahead of the August 14 shutdown.