Solomon's flood victims want water tanks to move from camps

Transcript

A spokesperson for Solomon Islands flood victims says they will not leave their evacuation centre at the National University until they get water tanks to use at their homes.

There are still nearly 2000 people at the Pavillion Camp, after several hundred returned to their homes last week after their palm oil company employer threatened they could lose their jobs.

Spokesperson for those remaining in the Pavillion camp, Henry Bata, says the National Disaster Management Office has told them to leave today but he says without a source of clean water they will not go.

Mr Bata says they want community tanks provided.

HENRY BATA:  Those tanks could be filled by rainwater.  There are about 5000 gallons or 6000 gallons, I think it would work during the rainy time.
 
DON WISEMAN:  So you have those sorts of tanks but you can't just do that instantly can you?  It takes time?
And as well as that you have got tens of thousands of people across Guadalcanal who are badly affected by this storm, and the government is trying to cope with them as well. So putting this pressure on them is a bit unfair?

HB:  I know there are not enough tanks to supply Guadalcanal.  There are lots and lots people are suffering lack of water right now.  So the government should think carefully of using bore holes or anything like that to save the other communities.

DW:  One of the thinks I understand that the government is looking at creating some tent cities, would your people move into those?

HB:  For that survey, you know what the government is doing right?  They have sent people to survey but it takes quite a long time to do a survey.  There are a lot of surveys that have been done and nothing every happens in our communities.

DW:  So, if you did get some watertanks, would the people be prepared to go home tomorrow with that instance?  Would they go immediately?

BH:  By moving immediately, it wouldn't work because it can't, this is not 400 or 500 people, they are talking about more than 3000 to 4000 people. So it might take them quite a long time to move them up.

DW: There must be a lot of people in these camps who are settlers who are from other parts of Solomon Islands.  Is it possible they could go home, temporarily to their home province?

BH:   Yeah, that is what government is doing right now two or three families have gone home, they send them through ships to the other islands.

DW:  So if you don't get any action?  Your planning to march on the Disaster Management office?

BH:  Yeah, that's what we have been thinking of right now. The police commander had rung our chairman at the victim's coalition team, he said he could arrest him if he had ban upon people of not going home.  Then the chairman says the very moment you arrest me, the very moment we protest.  Even the police himself comes into compromise and says 'oh, we can't do that'.  Now we are fighting against the government and I notice what they are doing, they are trying to force us again to go back to our own home without any good supplies and all that.