Study reveals communities unaware of mining impacts

THE Government needs to talk to local communities about the impact of the Frieda River Mine before going ahead with the project, a study has revealed.
An awareness campaign carried out in Ambunti, East Sepik, by University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) undergraduate students in river bank villages last year, revealed that there was misleading information.
The students, who presented their findings during the 2019 PNG Update Forum last week, were final-year students Michael Ban (business management) and Adrian Taranu (tourism and hospitality); Dr Anna Joskin (mentor) associate dean research and post-graduate studies assisted the pair.
The awareness informed the people that Frieda and Sepik rivers would encounter possible destruction of people’s livelihoods if the Frieda River Mine begun operations.
The awareness aimed to share ideas on potential areas that could be affected by mining activities; showed pictures of environmental damages of other mines to the villages and documented what villagers’ response to the potential impacts of the Frieda River Mine on their livelihoods.
“Our aim was to educate the locals about the possible destruction that could happen if the proposed Frieda River Mine goes ahead,” Ban said.
“Our study found out that the people were not aware of the disadvantages of the mine because the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) had not informed them.
“We, the students and educated elites, feel obliged to do what is best for our communities.
“So we can’t sit back and look at our people who will suffer if they do not understand the impacts of having a mine.”
Ban said he was satisfied that through the need for further awareness and discussion on the mine, its operations had been deferred from April this year to 2028.
“From our observations the communities are not in support of the mine,” he said.
“They realise the mine will come and go but the destruction will be there and they will suffer from it.”