Port Moresby water crisis delayed as Behori Clan blocks pipeline repairs

A leaking raw-water pipeline that supplies more than 50 % of Port Moresby’s water has been placed under a blockade by the Behori Clan, halting scheduled emergency repairs. Engineering assessments indicate the pipe is in active failure, spilling roughly 10 million litres each day and risking a sudden loss of supply that could endanger the city’s one-million inhabitants. Water PNG’s board chair, Meckles Poya, warned that the delay puts the capital at “unnecessary risk” and cited the National Water Supply and Sanitation Act as granting the utility authority to access the site.

Clan representative Foxie Kaeaka says the owners seek fair compensation for the blockage and restitution for ancestral remains discovered during earlier works, noting prior payments of $1,600 for burial rites and $5,000 for archaeology. The utility has already coordinated with Australia, China and the Netherlands to bring specialized equipment, and water rationing plans are ready for the three-day repair window. The dispute highlights broader infrastructure decay, with a 2025 Water PNG report flagging systemic under-investment and a $700 million upgrade need while the utility remains financially strained.