THE vanua o Betoraurau Sabeto environment committee has received the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for mining works being carried out at the Sabeto river by the Lion One Ltd.
Committee chair Don Natabe said the lengthy report would need to be perused by relevant stakeholders.
“We are getting second and third opinions from outside the Environment Trust and our think tank to assist us in actually scrutinising the baseline service that we’ve done, and also the environment management plan of Lion One,” he said.
Mr Natabe said the Environment and Climate Change Ministry had requested in May that residents living near the river not to use it until further notice.
It followed a discharge incident by Lion One Ltd into the river, resulting in the discovery of dead fish and eels.
“You can’t come up with any business development projects that will be detrimental to other people who actually share resources with you, whether it’s the river, your property, the beautiful scenery, the mountains that you have,” Mr Natabe said.
“We actually want to encourage everyone to come and enjoy what Sabeto has got to offer and be good stewards of the environment. That’s something that I think we want to make as innate in all of us, to actually be good stewards of the environment.”
While financial compensation may be crucial, Mr Natabe said rehabilitation works for the river were paramount.
“We want to make sure that they actually assure us that that particular business development operates within the scope of what we want. What we want is safe rivers, nothing adverse from the mining operation.
“It’s not only the fish that are being affected. There is going to be sedimentation, there are going to be other living organisms in the ecosystem.”
Mr Natabe said the committee needed a scientifically-backed assurance from government ministries that the mining operation would not adversely impact the environment.
“It’s not about the money; it’s about making sure that we leave behind a legacy.”
