Academic concerned about deep sea mining

AN academic has warned that the current location of the Deep Sea Tailings Placement (DSTP) for the K18.5 billion Wafi-Golpu mining project poses a big risk to the Huon Gulf coastline in Morobe.
Professor Ralph Mana of the University of PNG said the DSTP should be shifted elsewhere.
He also suggests that the entire baseline study be redrawn to capture what is under the sea, which is a fundamental requirement of the DSTP.
The environmental permit for the project has already been issued by the Conservation Environment Protection Authority (Cepa).
“(The DSTP) is a disposal system where they dump all the tailings into the sea to dispose of the waste,” Mana said.
“Deep sea is defined as 200 meters below and to have a DSTP, you have to study what you are going to destroy. This is part of DSTP for effective monitoring.
“You have to monitor what is happening when those toxic wastes are going into the sea.”
He said another aspect was where the DSTP was going to be.
“You have to put the DSTP at an appropriate place where all the requirements should be met.
“We are dealing with toxic waste and tailings should hit 1000 meters quickly, meaning it should be far from the shorelines.”