As a token of appreciation, the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs (DPLGA), on behalf of the Secretary Philip Leo and the Minister Soroi Marepo Eoe, food rations were presented to the landowners of Kaup Village in East Sepik Province.

The presentation, made to the village elders, recognized their ongoing cooperation and support in allocating land for the resettlement of the displaced Kadovar Island people.

Kaup has been identified as the proposed permanent resettlement site for the Kadovar community, who were evacuated to the Dandan Care Centre under the Turubu Local Level Government (LLG) area following the volcanic eruption on Kadovar Island in January 2018.

Since 2020, DPLGA has been providing regular food assistance to the displaced Kadovar people, who remain largely dependent on these rations due to limited access to sustainable food sources.

Earlier this week, officials from DPLGA and the East Sepik Provincial Administration held discussions with the Kaup landowners to reach a mutual understanding on the way forward for the proposed resettlement project.

Through continued collaboration and successful negotiations between the East Sepik Provincial Government, the Wewak District Development Authority (DDA) and DPLGA, the proposed Kaup site represents a significant step toward achieving a lasting resettlement solution for the Kadovar people currently living at Dandan Care Centre.

Furthermore, the Department of Lands and Physical Planning and the East Sepik Provincial Administration, will visit the proposed Kaup site to conduct a joint inspection and hold consultations with local leaders and landowners as part of the ongoing resettlement planning process.