-Ministry of Environment says the company has not applied for development consent

-Thousands of people downstream affected by pollution, says concerned elder

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

A mining company operating in the upper Mbalasuna River in Central Guadalcanal, Guadalcanal province, is operating illegally.

While the Ministry of Mines (MMERE) has remained silent, the Ministry of Environment has called out the company doing alluvial mining as illegal.

The Environment and Conservation Division (ECD) Director Josef Hurutarau said that the company has not applied for Development Consent (DC) from the Division.

ECD currently administers three Acts of Parliament, including the Environment Act 1998, Wildlife Protection and Management Act 1998 and Protected Areas Act 2010, with their respective Regulations.

The ECD Director made the assurance following concerns raised an illegal mining operation in the upper Mbalasuna River in Central Guadalcanal, Guadalcanal province.

A concerned Elder told Island Sun news that the operation, which has been going on for two months as of February this year, has polluted the river that thousands of people living downstream depend on for their daily survival.

The elder who wants his name withheld said that the company, Double Power Mining Company, has been operating without a Prospecting Licence and Mining Lease from the Ministry of Mines, Energy & Rural Electrification.

The concern who accompanied the Mines Energy & Rural Electrification Chief inspector Mr Nickson Kilua and a police officer to the site Tuesday last week also confirmed that letters were also send to respective authorities after he assess the operation.

“MMRE chief inspector Mr Nickson Kilua sent letters to the director of Mines, Minister of mines, the Police and Ministry of Environment. He also ordered a stop work notice. He assembled more than 20 Indonesians and other workers and told them that the company was not licensed to conduct mining operation activities. Therefore, it must stop immediately. However, no one comply and work is still ongoing,” he said.

Speaking to Island Sun yesterday, ECD Director Hurutarau said that he hadn’t received any formal complaint letter but had become aware that this illegal mining operation was raised on social media.

He confirmed that his division hasn’t also received any development consent from the company.

“I have alerted my team in the division of the matter. Importantly, any development to happen, such as mining, logging or major development, requires development consent from us. With the document, the company in this matter is operating illegally,’’ said Hurutarau.

He stressed that since a letter was also submitted to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, his team is waiting on the confirmation of the operation to travel to the site and conduct an impact assessment.

“There is a board within the Ministry of Mines and Energy to deal with such matters, and once they gave us the green light, we would then go to assess the site. However, as I mentioned, the company is operating illegally since they have not submitted their development consent to us,’’ he said.

The Ministry of the Mines and Energy did not make any comment, despite Island Sun reaching out to them yesterday through phone.

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