THE government through East Malaita Constituency Office (EMCO) is committed towards implementing the road infrastructure development in East Malaita to improve constituents’ accessibility to basic services.
This is obvious through a number of new feeder road infrastructures constructed by the government through EMCO in the region.
These new feeder roads area include;
- Baunakunu 6 kilometres feeder road (New 2022)
- Fauia 4 kilometres feeder road (New 2022)
- Naoasi to Taba’a feeder road (estimated 8km, built in 2019, ongoing)
- Faumamanu to Taba’akwaru estimated 4 kilometres feeder road (Built in 2018)
- Faumamanu to Kereth Market 3 kilometres feeder road (Built in 2014)
“Road infrastructure plays a critical role by providing flexibility for the efficient movements of people and goods, as well as providing accessibility to a wide variety of social and economic activities,” Constituency Project Officer (CPO) William Kwalemanu said.
Mr. Kwalemanu said East Malaita is one of the constituency’s in the country where most of its people reside inland and accessing road infrastructure and other government services remain a challenge.
“So, our aim is to help people inland have access to the government services and connecting them to the outside world through road infrastructure which is one of our top priorities as aligned to our constituency office development plan.”
He said that to make sure people meaningfully participated in the social and economic activities, road access should always remain the top priority.
“Life is tough for our people with the fact that they have to travel the mountainous and dangerous bush paths to access basic services such as health, markets, education and trade. So, these roads will make life easy for people in our constituency,” Mr. Kwalemanu said.
Baunakunu and Fauia feeder roads are new roads and construction work is still progressing at the moment.
Faumamanu to Taba’akwaru feeder road was built in 2018 while Faumamanu to Kereth Market feeder road was constructed in 2014.
Naoasi to Taba’a feeder road was built in 2019 and construction is still ongoing with plan to reach Magwaru community.
A recent visit by the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) team to the area saw people traveling by trucks, bicycles and others even enjoy walking on foot on the dry land to access basic services such as health, education, market and trade without any problem.
A constituent who is a Pastor, Silas Labukwasi from Naomanasao village in ward 16 said these developments of roads were positive changes in the area which has never seen before.
“Our people in the highlands have struggled for so long. Before they have to carry their produces to the market and stuffs whether big or small on their shoulders and climbed up the mountains to reach their homes. Even building materials have to be carried on shoulders over long distances to our homes in the interior of East Malaita. To bring a very sick person to the nearest clinic used to be very difficult before the roads were built. Life is hard that time.
“But today life has changed. People just travel by trucks to reach their homes, thanks to our Honourable Member of Parliament Manasseh Maelanga for his leadership in ensuring such important infrastructure development is eventuated in our constituency to help us rural people access government services at ease,” Pr. Labukwasi stressed.
“Our cries and prayers have now been answered. This is what we have been waiting and hoping for it too long now. To have proper road infrastructures.
“With these roads and the help from our government through our MP we believe this will help people from the highlands and seashore to travel on dry land with their produces to sell at the markets. Everyone will benefit from these new roads.
“These roads are a real boost for East Malaita and we acknowledge our MP Maelanga,” he said.
Faumamanu to Kereth Market feeder road was constructed by Trades Transformation Company (TTC) while Eastern Esteem which is the constituency’s construction arm provided construction work on the other roads as well as providing maintenance work to the roads in East Malaita.
The Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) is supporting the constituency with machineries.
Priority for EMCO for the remaining months of this year now is to extend the Taba’akwaru road to reach Namoia Community High School in the Kwaibaita region connecting East Kwaio Constituency with plans to also pursue implementation of the new road construction to link East Kwara’ae and Central Kwara’ae.
The new road will begin from Okwala village and ran through Busuoneh village, Taba’a, Fulisango, Kilusakwalo, and to Auki town. This road which will run along the mountain ridges and descend down to Kilusakwalo village is a shorter route and would only take an hour from East Kwara’ae to reach Auki town than the current Dala-Atori route.
Apart from the new feeder roads the East Malaita Constituency is also utilizing its CDF allocations to patch road sections from Dala in West Kwara’ae to Atori. This road is regularly used by travellers from West Kwara’ae, East Malaita, Fataleka, East Kwaio and East Are’are.
