Daulo caves in….

THE Highlands Highway has been cut off at Daulo Pass again.

(About half way between Goroka and the village. I was aiming to head out to the “hut” next weekend. Despite the mud slides I am still planning on going. Hopefully will manage to snap some good shots)

As reported in today’s Post Courier…

THE Highlands Highway has been cut off at Daulo Pass again. Continuous rain in the region triggered another massive landslip at Daulo Pass on Monday night, cutting off the four highlands provinces and resources development projects in Enga and Southern Highlands provinces.

The landslip occurred at the same location where part of a mountain collapsed, cutting off the highway last week. Eastern Highlands provincial works manager Steven Sapalo yesterday said the latest landslip was three times bigger than last week’s slip which saw the flow of traffic come to a standstill for a week.

Mr Sapalo said it would take 10 to 20 days for two teams from either side of the landslip to clear the mess. He said an access land would be created for traffic by the weekend. “We have organised for two teams to work on the landslip. One team will work on the Simbu side and the other from Goroka. The Goroka team is already there and we got word that the Simbu team is coming down and they should arrive by this afternoon and work should begin,” Mr Sapalo said.

COVEC Construction company was able to clear part of last week’s landslip and allowed traffic through for a day before Monday’s disaster hit. It blocked a mountain creek and created a dam which is threatening to burst, posing further risks to people down the valley and further damages to the highway, sources in Goroka said.

It is a nightmare for trucking firms who only this week raised concerns on the high operating costs with frequent landslips along the highway and increased fuel prices.

The Highlands Highway is the only road link between the five highlands provinces and the coastal towns of Lae and Madang.
Landslides and slips along the highway have also affected businesses including the oil and gas fields in Southern Highlands and Porgera gold mine, the travelling public and PMV operators.

Mr Sapalo yesterday commended the local landowners for understanding that clearing the highway was important. PMVs loaded with passengers destined for Lae and Goroka from Mt Hagen offloaded their passengers on the Simbu side of the slip and passengers walked across to get on buses on the Goroka side to continue their journey.