South Guadalcanal Constituency Office Responds to Food Shortages in the Constituency
The South Guadalcanal Constituency is taking significant action by delivering over forty tons of rice to address food shortages currently experienced in the constituency.
The Constituency Vessel, MV Southern Coast left Honiara lastnight for South Guadalcanal, to deliver the first batch of supplies.
Continuous months of rainfall, resulting in landslides and flooding, have severely impacted the people of that region.
These catastrophic events have destroyed food gardens, which is their only means of survival.
The Member of Parliament for South Guadalcanal, Hon. Rollen Seleso, along with the Members of Provincial Assembly for the three wards within the constituency—Duidui, Vatukulau, and Talise—swiftly responded to the situation.
This demonstrates a commitment to addressing the urgent needs of their people.
Bags of rice being loaded into MV Southern Coast.
In an interview with SIBC news prior to their departure lastnight, Hon. John Stewart, MPA for Duidui Ward, said that the food relief effort is a result of numerous requests from the people for assistance .
“South Guadalcanal has suffered continuous rainfall for the past four to five months, resulting in flooding and landslides that have affected our people. Numerous reports have been received from our constituents, that their food gardens were destroyed-thus resulting in shortage of food and other necessities.”
“By working together with our Member of Parliament, we are delivering forty-three tons of rice to the constituency,” Hon. Stewart said.
He adds that the supplies are intended to relieve the constituents while they await assessments by the National Disaster Management Office for any additional damages.
“Our goal is to provide assistance while waiting for assessments to be conducted. This assessment will be crucial for seeking further assistance from our provincial or the national government to continue the relief efforts.”
“The relief supplies are a joint effort between the constituency and our three wards which emphasize the importance of collaboration in times of crisis.”
He also stated that the initial trip aims to deliver food supplies for Duidui ward , with plans for an additional trip to cover the other two wards and possibly include medical supplies.
Hon. John Stewart
“For our trip tonight (lastnight) we will be delivering more than twenty tons of rice for Duidui Ward and parts of Vatukulau Ward. We will be covering the rest of Vatukulau and Talise wards in our next trip probably by mid next week.”
“We are also working with the National Medical Store if we can also bring medicines for our clinics,” he added.
South Guadalcanal, often referred to as the weathercoast, faces challenging geographical conditions, including steep hills, rocky terrain, and dense vegetation.
Hon. Stewart highlighted that these factors make the region highly susceptible to disasters like landslides and floods.
“The region experiences continuous rainfall, lasting seven to eight months a year. This persistent rain, combined with the challenging terrain, frequently leads to landslides.”
“Also, low-lying areas near rivers are prone to flooding, which poses threat to our food gardens,” said Hon. Stewart.
The relief effort will benefit over 2,000 households, totaling around 8,000 to 10,000 people in the constituency.
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BY SIMON TAVAKE