SYDNEY: An extended-abandoned Papua New Guinea mine as soon as operated by Anglo-Australian mining large Rio Tinto poses environmental and security issues for close by communities, who dwell underneath the specter of landslides, a brand new report reveals.
A two-year research of the Panguna mine — positioned on the autonomous island of Bougainville — discovered that mine buildings had “deteriorated”, whereas “tailings continued emigrate downstream and chemical compounds proceed to be launched”.
The Rio Tinto-commissioned research, performed by environmental agency Tetra Tech Coffey, discovered that in some areas, buildings, bridges or the bottom itself have been “unstable and should collapse”.
This poses the chance of hurt, harm or demise to the local people, in response to the report.
The mining large has for years been accused of sidestepping accountability for cleansing up toxic waste on the huge mothballed copper and gold mine.
Rio Tinto’s Australian chief government Kellie Parker mentioned the “complete evaluation” marked an necessary milestone in understanding the long-term impacts of the mine.
“While we proceed to assessment the report, we recognise the gravity of the impacts recognized and settle for the findings,” she mentioned in a Friday assertion.
Parker acknowledged it might take time, however vowed to work intently with stakeholders to make sure the legacy of the mine was addressed in a “honest and equitable method” for impacted communities.
The report discovered that tailings from the mine — which run into the Kawerong-Jaba River — had “completely modified the river system” and it might not “naturally return to the way it was earlier than the mine for no less than 100 years”.
The river system additionally posed a danger to the communities’ well being and excessive metals in soil that made vegetation tough to develop, the report mentioned.
But there have been nonetheless some water sources that folks might safely drink, bathe and swim in.
The report made 24 suggestions, together with outlining areas that want additional investigation, which can be thought-about by related stakeholders to find out the subsequent steps.
Australia’s Human Rights Law Centre, which helped organise authorized motion in opposition to Rio Tinto, mentioned communities continued to dwell with the “devastating impacts of the mine”.
“Mine infrastructure is crumbling, placing lives in danger. Villages are being flooded and communities minimize off from entry to water and important companies,” the centre mentioned in an replace on its web site.
It vowed to proceed working with the group.
The mine is estimated to nonetheless maintain greater than 5 million tonnes of copper and 19 million ounces of gold — price billions of {dollars} at present market costs.
The Panguna mine, which operated between 1972 and 1989, was one of many South Pacific’s largest mines.
But anger amongst locals over the environmental harm and distribution of income triggered an rebellion that pressured its closure.
The ensuing civil warfare left as much as 20,000 folks lifeless — about 10 p.c of Bougainville’s inhabitants at the moment.
As a part of a 2001 peace settlement that ended the civil warfare, Bougainville voted overwhelmingly to realize independence from Papua New Guinea.
