Highlights of the PWD’s Third QPA Meeting

During the third Quarterly Performance Assessment (QPA) Meeting hosted by the PWD Head Office from 15^th to 17^th October 2019, the Divisions under PWD shared one best achievement story during the Quarterly Meeting.

 

Shefa

Seven Star & Ohlen Road now open

Achievement – a prolonged road condition for almost 30 years has finally come to accomplishment in September 2019. The upgrading and sealing of Port Vila urban road at Ohlen/Seven-star loop has been a milestone of achievement.

A short history: Seven-star used to be one of the best residential areas in Port Vila, like current Bellevue and Ellouk. It had good roads and easy access of transportation, shopping centers and an entertainment facility built right in the center of the community. However, over the years following the increasing rainfall over the nation due to climate change, the roads around the area of Ohlen Loop and Seven-star deteriorated hence became the unbearable condition that needed to be seriously fixed.

Issues:

1. The road flooded so badly during rainy season that the flood even entered into the yards and homes of the nearby households
2. Huge potholes formed – one of the major concern for Drivers
3. Road closed – due to the unbearable road condition

Although it was not easy to reinstate social and economic factors as so many consultants have tried to resolve the issue without success, PWD Shefa team managed to make a dream come through for the residents of Ohlen and Seven-star by building

• A Temporary silt-detention/infiltration basin (400 cubic meter)
• Ohlen Hill Concrete Pavement (264m X 4m X 0.15m)
• 1200m sealed road at Ohlen loop

The residents appreciated the intervention as their road issues are now solved.  

   

 

Malampa

Tempipi & Patven Box Culverts are now open

The MDC Junction to Lamap Road is the main road connecting the South East & South Malekula with Malampa’s main centre, Lakatoro. Apart from the big rivers running through this road, Tempipi Stream and Patven Stream are two of the difficult sites that are impassable during rainy seasons. This affects local producers and transport owners to connect with the services stationed in Lakatoro.

After the establishment of Vanuatu Infrastructure Improvement and Reconstruction Project (VIRIP), PWD through the Malampa Division put forward these worst river crossings to VIRIP for improvement. The Tempipi & Patven streams roads were approved. Since then, nothing has been done due to delays in designing and procurement processes to allow the implementation to proceed with the project. The projects were then put forward to 2019 Work-Plan for implementation. However, the designing process has still been ongoing until PWD decided to accept the designs and proceed with construction, in a sense that if anything needed to be changed, the team will adjust on site due to the timeframe. The Malampa SSCs have been facing difficulties in constructing these culverts since this is a first time task carrying out big contracts like these ones. There were some adjustments made to the design, but done on site with advices taken from the R4D team’s Technical advisor Malampa to make sure the construction is done within the PWD specifications for standard box culverts with quality assurance.

Now that both culverts are 100% completed, the transport owners are pleased with the improvement done at the two streams. A proud village chief conveyed his appreciation to the department stating that he had once stood by Patven Box Culvert during a heavy rain watching vehicles going to and fro while the high rise stream just flow smoothly under the box culvert.

  

 

Torba

 Although all divisions have been facing similar challenges throughout the years, Torba Division was lacking additional staff for its Sola Office. The challenge was that PWD Torba generally lacks in structure with only one (1) Senior Foreman and two (2) Site Inspectors. Hence, an inclusion of seven (7) additional staff, if added should strengthen the structure.

In order to improve the Torba Divisional Structure, PWD needed to facilitate the appointment of one (1) Admin Officer, three (3) Operators, two (2) Mechanics and one (1) Community Partnership Officer (CPO). The plan to re-open Torba as a separate division should enhance the service delivery in Vanuatu’s smallest and most remote province.

 

Sanma

Achievement – a prolonged road condition proposed for sealing since 2010 has finally come to accomplishment in 2019. The Sealing of Santo Urban Road at Banban was 4.4km; Project: SA-UR-2/19/WK/FA/SN/SA/UR/PWD/PWD has been a milestone of achievement.

To lay out a few problems faced before the sealing:

• It has been proposed to be sealed since 2010
• Pothole – one of the major concern for Drivers
• Dust Pollution affecting the Local Residents

From August to September 2019, PWD Sanma and Shefa team have managed to make a dream come through for the residents of Banban & Bombua by sealing a total distance of 4.4km. The residents were very happy to see PWD Sealing equipment reaching their area. The community organized a Welcome Feast to acknowledge PWD team and celebrate this great achievement. 

This intervention has brought light into the residents’ life and they now have quicker access to the hospital, schools and the market. Buses and taxi drivers no long reject passengers going to Banban and Bombua Area.

  

 

Tafea

PWD through the Tafea Division constructed a 1000m concrete pavement at Lowiaru Imafen Road on Tanna Island to improve their road condition. Before the PWD’s Intervention, the earth road was a mixture gravel and soil surface.

The problem persisted since 2014 despite it being the key economic route with strong social importance that provides the link and connection by land to the 8000+ population to White Grass airport, the main Lenakel wharf, other key social infrastructure and other important Government and Non-Government services. The road was often impassable during rainy seasons. Historically it had increased maintenance needs to repair erosion and road gullies along this section. It has also increased vehicle-operating costs (VOC).

Both PWD’s and VIRIP’s interventions are to construct an FRC pavement on the 1000m road; Maintain good condition earth road and overlay gravel on geotextile of 3.5km. VIRIP stepped up to provide the solution in funding the additional length to the scope of works. This intervention has provided the surrounding villagers easier access to the hospital, schools and the market, and towards the west coast of the island. The investment has impacted 8000+ population aligning with NSDP (2016-2030) and in particular: ENV3 Climate and Disaster Resilience, ECO2 Improve Infrastructure with secondary benefits to ECO4, and it created jobs and business opportunities for the people.