Livelihood, economy, and influence of ‘outsiders’
4.3.3 Air transportation At the time of the survey, regularly-scheduled flights were available with Merpati once a week from Sentani,
which is near Jayapura, the capital of Papua, to Bade, which is on the lower Digul River, every Monday. There is sometimes an extra flight on Fridays.
Travel by floatplane to the villages in Edera subdistrict is another option. This area is serviced by MAF, but service still depends on river conditions. Edera subdistrict has only one grass airstrip, in Bade. Even Getentiri,
although it is a subdistrict capital, does not have an airstrip. However, the survey team heard from the general manager of Korindo Lumber Company that an airstrip is going to be built in Getentiri in August 2001, as a joint
project between the government and Korindo.
There used to be an airstrip in Kaisah used by MAF, but it is no longer usable. At the time of this survey, the people in Meto village Jair subdistrict were trying to get approval from the
regency-level government to build an airstrip in their village, since the ground conditions are suitable for an airstrip.
5 Health and medical
The main diseases reported in the villages that were visited were malaria, vomiting, diarrhea, TB, asthma, and skin diseases. In many villages, the survey team observed that some children have light yellow hair. This is
probably caused by a lack of good nutrition.
Most villages use well water either a spring or a concrete well, rainwater, or rivers for washing, bathing, cooking, and drinking. Some villages that were visited have toilets, which usually belong to the priest’s house or
other outsiders, such as the teachers and midwives.
Seven villages out of 13 Konebi, Banamepe, Yame, Kaisah, Bhakti, Subur, and Aiwat have their own health worker. People from the other six villages have to go to the capital of the subdistrict or to Asiki for professional
medical help.