Dead fish, eels and frogs floating along the Sabeto River have triggered an urgent investigation as the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change confirms contaminated water was discharged from the Tuvatu Gold Mine last week.
The mine’s operator, Lion One Metals Ltd, admitted water with elevated copper levels was released into the environment following what it described as a human error caused by miscommunication between its mill operations and environmental teams.
But with water naturally flowing downstream, doubts have been cast over the company’s claim that the contamination is confined within the special mining lease (SML) boundary.
Ministry of Environment permanent secretary Sivendra Michael said they shared the public’s concerns.
“We also share similar understanding and concerns,” Mr Michael said.
“We have made it clear to stakeholders that independent water tests are currently being conducted to ascertain the chemical parameters.”
The discharge, which has devastated aquatic life near Korobebe Village, has sparked anger among villagers who rely on the Sabeto River for daily activities, including fishing, bathing, washing, and providing water for livestock.
Mr Michael said Lion One is bound by its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to contain sediment and runoff through the installation of a sediment treatment pond, silt fences and sediment traps in accordance with the GD05 Erosion and Sediment Control Guidelines 2016.
“The EIA conditions also require the appointment of an Environmental Monitoring Committee (EMC) to verify that environmental management measures are upheld and that adverse impacts of the proposed works are being rectified.”
According to Mr Michael, Lion One submitted a report on the incident within 24 hours of it occurring in line with legal requirements under the Mining Act.
“During the call with the inspection team at 4.30pm, Lion One had released a report within 24 hours of the incident to the Mineral Resources Department and MECC,” he said.
“The Mining Act requires that any incidents, including accidents involving loss of life or serious injury, be reported. Specifically, managers of mines must report such incidents to the director or an inspector within 24 hours.”
To verify Lion One’s claims that contamination has not flowed beyond the mine lease boundary, Mr Michael confirmed government teams were already on the ground.
“They are currently on site with Water Authority of Fiji technicians collecting samples from point source and downstream.
“Water samples will be collected across all points for testing to establish the impact.”
