Concerns over slurry overflow

MADANG Governor Peter Yama, pictured, has called on the Government to shut down the Basamuk Refinery in Rai Coast following the slurry overflow in the area.
Yama made the statement in Parliament on Friday regarding the spillage of slurry into Basamuk bay in Madang and its effect on local communities.
He said there were teams at the Basamuk Refinery assessing the situation including officials from Conservation Environment Protection Authority (Cepa).
“I call on the Marape-Steven Government to look at this situation very seriously,” he said.
“The mine was established in 2002 with full operations over the last eight years and it has made over K27 billion but it had not paid any money into the provincial government.
“I cannot allow this company to operate without any proper guidelines.”
Yama said the memorandum of agreement signed between the State and developer had expired.
“Currently they are operating illegally there’s no framework for the Government,” he claimed.
“It is in the interest of the people of Madang and the provincial government that the refinery must close.”
Mining Minster Johnson Tuke, who visited the Basamuk Refinery accompanied by Yama and Mineral Resources Authority managing director Garry Jerry, has called on the landowners not to disrupt the operations.
He said the investigations on the slurry overflow into the sea was being finalised and the report would be presented to him.
Last Tuesday, more than 50 landowners had expressed concern on the issue and urged MRA and Cepa to thoroughly investigate the toxicity of the slurry so that landowners could be made aware of the situation.