Murr Village, a community of 300 people and live along the Oriomo River in Western Province’s South Fly district now have much to celebrate after the installation of rainforest harvesting units that will provide the community access to a clean and safe water supply. After a Hydrogeology survey and confirmation from the District WASH committee on selected communities who lack groundwater sources, rainwater harvesting units are now being set up. This is funded by the Australian Government through the Western Province Partnership’s Water Security Project. Murr was one of the selected villages identified as lacking groundwater sources and earmarked by the South Fly District WASH committee to receive rainwater harvesting units and Murr community will be receiving two units, one for the community and one for their local primary school. Each rainwater harvesting unit has four 9000-litre tanks and a catchment with concrete flooring, and the catchment can also be used as a shelter, a community hall, a marketplace or even an additional classroom when built at the school ground. The construction of the rainwater harvesting units saw the community coming together to work with the contractors to install the first unit in the centre of the village. The second unit will be constructed at the primary school. Access to clean and safe water is crucial for communities in the South Fly, both along the coast and inland. They often experience long dry seasons, resulting in critical water shortages that negatively impact the communities’ livelihoods and place health, food, and water security at risk. This vulnerability sometimes results in communities accessing water from unsafe sources, which can result in disease outbreaks. “I want to see a decrease in health issues arising from my people consuming contaminated water. It has affected our livelihoods for far too long, and any help and infrastructure set up to improve our access to a safe water supply and help our women and children is a win for us all,’’ said Sevese Dimen Ward Member. “My community has also taken ownership of this project, and we are keen to contribute towards Australian High Commission Port Moresby its completion”. Murr Village Chairman Sam Steven expressed gratitude towards the projects and stated that accessing clean and safe water is a fundamental need for any community, especially for women, children, and the most vulnerable members of our community. “This new infrastructure provides easy access and lessens the time and effort to get to our current water sources and back with their water containers,” Mr Steven added. After completing the installation of the rainwater harvesting units in Murr, other selected communities in the South Fly will also receive similar facilities this year. Australia and Papua New Guinea will continue to work in partnership to build and strengthen resilience to water-related disasters in the South Fly by supporting communities, including vulnerable people, to have more sustainable livelihoods, incomes, and food and water security.