Landowners slam EIA report

By PATRICK TALU
LANDOWNERS from Hides 4 petroleum development licence (PDL7) have refuted claims in the Esso Highlands Ltd’s (EHL) project environment impact assessment (EIA) report.
Yagali clan chief Edie Undiape on Monday said EHL’s claim of EIA as “most comprehensive” was untrue and did not reflect the realities of environment damages caused by the project.
“The fact on the ground is there are lots of environmental damages done during the early works since last March.
“What was published in the fourth quarter social and environment report on Tuesday was misleading and does not reflect what’s on the ground.
“What qualifies ELH to say that the EIA was the most comprehensive ever undertaken in PNG?”
Undiape said a classic example was the Akara Creek which was extensively damaged by the Hides 4 gas plant and camp construction during the early works.
“Fish and other living organisms in the creek have been killed.
“This water is also used for drinking, washing and cooking. That has been polluted and the colour of the water has changed to orange,” Undiape said.
A  visit to the site by The National last month noted that the colour was orange and vegetations along the banks of the creek had dried.
Undiape said that EHL was attempting to compensate the damages with K19,000 but refused in order to file a proceeding s for the environmental damages.
Jack Jekele, the principal plaintiff who is challenging ExxonMobil on the damage, said from Anguale village that the major clans affected by the Akara creek mud slip were Yagali, Tagoria and Tagopali.
“Since Nov 13, when the mud slip occurred, ExxonMobil have been underplaying the issue and we are fed up with their tactics.
“We want to seek justice and redress for the loss and damage to our environment.
“We the landowners of the three major clans have signed our consents and Kuman Lawyers have taken on the case proceeding against the state and ExxonMobil for environmental damage and loss of access to water rights,” Jekele said.
EHL however, said the PNG LNG project was committed to operating in an environmentally sensitive manner. 
Public affairs manager Miles Shaw told The National that “the project is being managed with a detailed scientific understanding of the environmental and social impacts of our operations.
“To this end, we track environmental performance to ensure that appropriate actions are taken and process improvements are made in a timely manner,” he said.
Shaw said that last November at the Hides gas conditioning plant construction site, a stockpile of excavated earth saturated with water following several days of heavy rain. 
This material entered Akara creek causing the sediment load in the water to rise. 
Shaw said mature vegetation bordering the creek was not significantly impacted.
He stated that in response to this incident, the project provided tanks with drinking water for the local villagers although it was understood that the creek was not used for drinking.
“A water sampling programme has been put in place to monitor water quality in the creek.
“Environmental specialists with the project expect the creek water quality to return to normal in a few months time with no  damage,” Shaw said.