Wau – Bulolo social mapping gets Joint District Budget Planning and Priorities Committee endorsement


PNGBLOGS
 
The  Wau Bulolo District Joint District Budget Planning and Priorities committee under the Chairman of the local Member Sam Basil has endorsed the social mapping study to be undertaken at by Social Environmental Research and Consultancy Services (SERACS) Ltd, a research and consultancy group specializing in anthropological, social and environmental research. The project is an initiative of the local member Sam Basil and villagers that have been affected over the year. 

Wau Bulolo MP Sam Basil, said that “I want to be proactive in addressing land related issues, and social mapping is the way forward in my electorate as there is a lot of mineral resource development and exploration taking place, and if we are not proactive in addressing this issues, law and order problems arising from land disputes are likely to happen, and has already happened in the Wau Bulolo District”. The Wau-Bulolo District JDBPPC has approved K250,000 Funding of the project with the first trench payment of K100,000.

The social mapping study that would be undertaken by Social Environmental Research and Consultancy services Limited would focus on the systematic collection of information on customary social groups and the tracts of land they are associated with. The team leader of SERACS Ltd, Dr Rodney Kameata highlighted at the presentation to the members of the Wau Bulolo Joint District Budget and Planning Priorities Committee that the “social mapping study should entail an understanding of the cultural and historical factors that have shaped the relationship between people and their environment”

The Local level Government Council Presidents present at the Joint District Budget Planning and Priorities Committee and the Wau Bulolo District public servants appreciated that the Member for Wau/ Bulolo is being proactive in addressing a lot of the land related issues, and setting the foundation for any land based developments that would be taking place in his electorate. Mr John Yawa, president of the Wau LLG said that “ A lot of the land issues in the electorate is outstanding, and the initiative of social mapping is a means to provide empirical evidence and information in relation to land and customary rights, we the LLG presidents appreciate the move”. 

Mr Mathias Philip said that “While Mineral exploration and Development is on the boom in the district, the developers and the agencies of the state need to proactively work with the customary landowners, and guide them through, such is not happening and the initiative is priority in the Wau/ Bulolo District”. The Honorable Member Sam Basil stated that this initiative of social mapping should be the first undertaken when a developer first enters customary land, however has not happened much.  

Population growth has also created an unprecedented growth of villages expanding with spillover effects resulting in unwarranted casualties, loss of lives and assets  from related land disputes.   

The social mapping project is the best way forward for everybody especially making vital information available for our future generations to use. 

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