Simberi mine admits to leakageBy Harlyne JokuSimberi Gold Mining...

Simberi mine admits to leakage

By Harlyne Joku

Simberi Gold Mining Company Limited (SGCL) admitted yesterday that there was a leakage in a mine waste tailings mixing tank which has resulted in dead fish and marine life along the
shorelines of Simberi island 130 kilometres east of Kavieng town in the New Ireland Province.
SGCL whose parent company is Allied Gold submitted a detailed report on the cyanide leakage yesterday morning to the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Conservation Dr Wari
Iamo detailing the cause of the accident.
Dr Iamo said his department will review the report and co-ordinate a full investigation with MRA (Mineral Resources Authority) and other agencies and make a site visit next week.
Dr Iamo said if there is a need to engage expert technical support, DEC will engage expert technical support and relevant expertise to conduct a thorough investigation to establish
whether there was negligence on the past of the company.
He said in the meantime, the mine plant will remain shut until further notice.
Dr Wari added that two senior officers from DEC had flown on short notice to Simberi Gold Mine in the New Ireland province last Thursday to investigate a report of a leakage in one of
their tailings mix tank.
?The Department was notified by the company the previous evening that there had been a leak of mine waste tailings mixing tank on Wednesday evening, March 1 and that the mine operator
had immediately shut down the tailings plant to prevent any further loss of tailings.
The notification also reported dead fish along the shoreline where the leakage had entered the sea,? Dr Wari said.
Upon receipt of notice of spill from the company, the Department immediately dispatched two senior tech-nical officers to the site to investigate the incident and ensure that effective
measures were being taken by the mine operator to control the situation and minimise any potential environmental impacts on the surrounding area.
Dr Iamo said the mine operator SGCL has taken water samples and fish tissue samples from several locations in the vicinity of the leak which have been sent for analysis.
In the meantime, the Simberi Plant remains shut until further notice.
?The Department has directed the mine operator that the tailings plant will shut down until the operator has provided a detailed report on the cause of the incident, its impact on the
environment and the measures the mine operator will take to ensure that there is no recurrence of the incident,? Dr Iamo said.