Small scale miners increase in Bougainville
Quelle: New Bougainville Bulletin 2013
Recent reports received from district officers in Bougainville revealed that thousands of people in the Autonomous Region are doing small scale mining throughout the 3 regions of Bougainville.
The areas where they are digging gold include:
- In North Bougainville: Tinputz
- In Central Bougainville: Pakia, Kupei, Panguna, Moroni, Kitano, Kawerong River, Atamo, Karato, Loloho, Kongara, Paruparu
- In South Bougainville: Wisai, Leuro, Jaba River, Torokina
The reports received, has prompted the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) to caution that the involvement of people in unregulated small scale mining can cause or contribute to many problems.
These problems include:
- Land disputes
- Environmental destruction
- Damage to infrastructure (the Port Mine Access Road is threatened with undermining by extensive mining above and below it near the Pakia Gap;
- Problems with the extensive use of highly toxic mercury in processing gold-health problems and environmental problems;
- Safety for miners is also a major issue, with several having been killed by collapsing mining sites.
According to the Autonomous Government, the ABG Mining Department needs to re-organise and to devote at least half of its personnel, resources and activities to dealing with the current needs of Bougainville, especially the situation with small-scale mining.
Bougainville President Chief Dr. John Momis added that the policy of his government is that it would want just 1 or 2 large scale mines. “We will not want laws and policies that encourage unlimited numbers of mines. That would be a recipe for 3 things that we do not need in Bougainville:
- waste of the revenue derived from mining, and
- unsustainable development that fails to preserve mineral resources for meeting the needs of future generations;
- the terrible social and environmental impacts that would come from unrestricted mining,” said Momis. |
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