FLY RIVER IS DEAD

The National 28 August 2014      Headline

The word has now come that the Fly River is dead, the result of mining of OK Tedi. The river is full of poisons from the tailing that have freely flowed into the river.

Some 25 years ago, there was a barge from OK Tedi that sank in the river loaded with barrels of cyanide. These would surely have begun to leak. Japanese studies have found children born malformed in the villages along the Fly River.

The next to be irreparably damaged are the Ramu and Sepik Rivers that provide the nutrients for the Yellow Fin Tuna breeding. There are the Marengo and Frieda River mines that will spoil the two rivers.

There will be the pollution from the Nautilus undersea mining and the waste pouring into the sea from Ramu NiCo in Madang. There can be a number of causes including the change in temperature of the water.

The Magadus Square first identified by Director of Fisheries Mr Ben Semri in 2008 is the premier breeding site for the Yellow Fin Tuna of the Pacific.

There must be thousands of small rivers entering the Fly River. These are not likely to be polluted until reaching the main river. The villagers have to use these rivers for water and set up water reticulation and storage systems that take water from the tributaries of the Fly River.

It is not likely that these rivers will hold the fish of the Fly River. The villagers could have fish farming projects that take water from the tributaries.