Aviamp hit hard by hailstorm

By PEARSON KOLO

THE effects of global warming are very obvious in the country.
In the coastal areas of Papua New Guinea, many villages are experiencing a rise in sea levels. The coast lines of Manus island is sinking. People have already been relocated from the sinking Nissan Islands in the atolls of North Solomon Province onto mainland Buka.
And in the highlands, people are experiencing a change in weather patterns and heat from the sun. The sun’s heat in the highlands of Papua New Guinea is hotter now than in the past. The weather pattern in which the people used to follow to do their gardening is now confusing as they can no longer tell when the wet and dry season come.
Many plants that grow in the coastal areas like coconuts, mango and betel nuts are now growing in the highlands and are bearing fruits. While these are new things experienced by this generation even more surprising things are expected to come with global warming.
One such surprising and unique encounter by a village of more than 2000 people in the Highlands was a destructive hail storm, which destroyed everything in its path.
The Aviamp villagers in the new Jiwaka Province ran into their houses for shelter and watched helplessly while the hailstones, the size of marbles completely covered everything on the ground. Many trees lost their leaves and branches.
The entire village was devastatingly hit by the hail storm which they said they have never experienced before and not even heard of such encounters in the past from their old people.
The hailstones which reached an inch above ground level and slowly melted away the next morning destroyed food crops and killed and injured many domestic animals that were exposed.
Councilor of Aviamp Village, John Wesley, who has lost hectares of coffee and orange trees said the people were surprised and shocked by the volume of hail that fell from the sky and ran into their houses for protection.
Luckily none of the villagers were injured.
Cr Wesley said it was the first ever destructive experience in the whole Anglimp district and concluded that it might be an effect of global warming.
“We do experience hail storms but not as bad as this.
“Our fathers have never told us of any similar experiences in the past and this hail storm that has hit us is something new and we fear it is a sign of global warming,” Cr Wesley said.
He stressed that the hailstones destroyed all the crops which are beginning to drie up as if they were burnt.
Mr Wesley said those who have cash crop gardens like coffee and orange trees or vegetable like corn, peanut or cucumbers have lost everything.
“We are seeing the devastating outcome of the disaster every day and fear the worst,” John Wesley predicted.
Hail storms and ice falling from the sky are more common in the Tambul district of Western Highlands Province.
The other parts on the highlands have rarely experienced destructive hailstorms.
Aviamp is located in the heart of the Waghi Valley and hailstorm has been a story to them but now they have experienced it. They fear that the worst is yet to come
Councilor John Wesley said his people are now running out of their staple foods like kaukau and greens.
The villagers of Minjipii tribe in Aviamp who were worst hit described the hail storm as the first ever experienced in the district and fear they will run out of food in the coming months.
They are calling on the government to inform them accordingly on the effects of global warming and what they are expected to experience so that they can be prepared.