OIL Search PNG Ltd urged Kutubu landowners yesterday not to carry out their threat to shut off the road access to Kutubu 2 but to seek appropriate avenues to express their concerns.
Community affairs manager Willie Kupo said that if they carried out their threat, it would become a law and order issue and the police would be called in.
The landowners of Gese and Yakerabo threatened last Friday that they would shut off the highway leading to the project site if Oil Search did not respond to the findings of their “consultant” within 14 days.
According to the consultant, third-year university student Reuben Mora, samples of water he collected from the Yakerabo and Gese creeks between June 4 and 17 showed traces of harmful chemicals.
Mr Mora claimed that the chemicals came from Kutubu 2X.
Oil Search’s group environment leader Benedict Yaru, however, told a media briefing yesterday that Mr Mora’s method of calculations of the chemical levels of barium in the water was incorrect.
He said Mr Mora had misunderstood the method and was therefore confused.