OPERATION PLES DRAI PAPUA NEW GUINEA DROUGHT

THE PNG AND AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCES WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE PEOPLE OF PNG DURING THE 1997 – 1998 DROUGHT

1000th TONNE OF FOOD AID DELIVERED

Australian Defence Force drought relief operations in Papua New Guinea will reach a major milestone today with the delivery of its 1000th tonne of emergency food aid.

Commander of the Australian Defence Force’s drought relief operations in Papua New Guinea, Lieutenant Colonel Norman Cognet, described the milestone as a good indication of the success of the operation so far.

"Reaching the 1000 tonnes figure at this stage of our second full month of operations means that our delivery targets of around 650 tonnes per month should be achieved as planned," Lieutenant Colonel Cognet said.

Working in conjunction with the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, the 150-strong Australian Defence Force contingent is in Papua New Guinea delivering emergency food aid to some 28 remote locations throughout five drought affected provinces.

The five provinces in which the Australians are working are: Central, Western, Gulf, West Sepik and Milne Bay.

Australian Defence Force operation in Papua New Guinea, called OPERATION SIERRA, is primarily an air operation using a fleet of 10 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Australian Army aircraft.

The RAAF is providing C-130 Hercules and DH-4C Caribou transport aircraft which are being used to pre-position bulk supplies of emergency food aid to major distribution points in the provinces. From these points, Australian Army S70 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters deliver the aid into drought affected villages which can only be reached by air.

The emergency food aid is being supplied by the Australian government’s aid arm, AusAID (Australian Agency for International Development) and consists of 8 kgs of rice, 2 kgs of flour and 1 litre of cooking oil per person per month. Just over 60,000 people are being targeted to receive this aid each month.

Latest estimates indicate that between 650,000 - 700,000 Papua New Guineans are being affected by the drought which has devastated much of the countries traditional food crops.

The Papua New Guinea National Disasters and Emergency Service (NDES) is coordinating the country’s drought relief efforts, including that part being conducted by the Australian Defence Force.

"The areas where we deliver the aid are determined by the NDES which conducts on-going surveys to determine which areas require what level of drought aid support," Lieutenant Colonel Cognet said.

"It is our job to deliver aid to only those areas which are among the worst affected and are in areas which are only accessible by air."

While there are some signs that the weather is changing for the best in Papua New Guinea with growing reports of rain in the highlands and northern parts of the country, Lieutenant Colonel Cognet says his mission remains the same.

"Because of the devastating nature of the drought this year, even if good rain falls throughout this month we will still need to conduct our operations through to at least March next year while traditional food crops are grown," Lieutenant Colonel Cognet said.

By: Major Robert Barnes - December 10 ,1997

1000th Tonne of Food Aid Delivered Picture Gallery.