Community demands compensation

The people of Betoraurau District, Nadi, demands for heads to roll over the chemical spillage from a mining operation into the Sabeto River which killed fish and marine resources.

The poisonous spillage affected the food sources for the people of the district.

They now demand answers and compensation after a team from the district representatives met the miners, Lion

One Metals Limited, Commissioner Western, various government agencies, and the Roko Tui Ba in Nadi yesterday.

Lion One Metals Ltd claimed the spill was a "human error" after water with slightly higher levels leaked from the pond into the river.

"What we've seen is an actual demonstration of what we had been experiencing.

There are some serious concerns, especially from land owning units, where the special mining leases have been offered," said Vaima O Betoraurau Environment Committee spokesperson, Don Natabe.

The group raised the concern to prevent industrial damage from other businesses operating within their land.

Compensation

The group called for investigations to determine the extent of the damage to their environment.

"We're going to initiate a compensation committee to look into proper compensation," Mr Natabe said.

"We want to hold the relevant agencies, and the company accountable for who gave the mining operations the goahead and see if the environment management plan is sufficient to ensure that there are no drastic, even the most little effects on the environment."

Mr Natabe said there was a human cost to development.

"It is a social cost and all of these things needed to be taken into consideration. Get a first-hand report from the environment manager to understand what transpired, get the entire fix before we convene the next council meeting, and put together some recommendations for the way forward," he said.

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