Dopdop Kange | UPNG | Post Courier
19 September 2012
I respond to an article by Stephen Rogers, the Chief Executive Officer of Nautilus Minerals titled,“Undersea Mining will not affect environment”.
The company made the statement in response to a report called ‘Out of Our Depths’ and accused the undersea mine of producing unacceptable environmental and social impacts.
Out of Our Depths author Dr Helen Rosenbaum says she is concerned that PNG is the first country in the world to undergo deep sea mining, but its impacts on communities are largely unknown.
In my reaction towards this hot issue, the O’Neill-Dion Government must stop this Solwara 1 Project from operating. The advantages are great but the disadvantages are backed heavily by truth. Since PNG is floating on minerals, it should concentrate on other mining activities such as LNG. Lives of people are very important compared to material resources.
The lives of coastal people who depend heavily on the sea will be in danger and it will affect the country’s economy in terms of marine resources.
This undersea mining is one of the world’s first deep seas mining where it involves a lot of trials and errors.
I kindly request the current Government to stop this undersea mining (Solwara 1) from going ahead with its operations.
