River is important: Isifu

WEWAK MP Kevin Isifu says the Sepik River is important to the people and while they support the Frieda River copper/gold project, the safety of the environment will not be compromised.
Isifu and Ambunti–Dreikikir MP Johnson Wapunai told a development forum in Tabubil, Western, last weekend that the project was going to be big for East and West Sepik. But they did not want any pollution.
“The Frieda River project is a high impact project for the people of Sepik,” he said.
“The people of Sepik welcome the project because of its economic value but the biggest concern is the mine waste.
“The developer must look at the best way to control its waste.”
Wapunai said environmental issues were not negotiable.
He urged the landowners to be united as it had been 50 years since they had been talking about the mine.
The developer PanAust will build a 200-metre deep and 75km wide dam which would also be the waste disposal dam and hydroelectricity dam.
But it was argued that the proposed dam would cover four villages, their gardens, their hunting grounds, their sacred traditional burial sites.
The Sandaun government had engaged a private engineering team to see if the proposed dam was necessary.
The team proposed that another option be considered.