John Duma Kay’e, Chuave
PLEASE allow me to express my views on Sir Arnold Amet’s claim that the proposed Deep Sea Tailings System to be employed by Ramu Nico is safe.
To start off, let me commend Sir Arnold for his bold and brave move to claim Deep Sea Tailings is safe and that “as a top lawyer, he would take any responsibility should anything go wrong.”
While I do not know what scientific materials he read on the matter to make such assumptions, I know for a fact there are only two environmental impact reports that talk about the impacts of Deep Sea Tailings in the Basamuk area of PNG.
These are the Lutheran Report and the Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS) reports.
My analysis of these reports show that the Lutheran report is the most comprehensive report on the matter and does not in any way show that Deep Sea Tailings is safe.
The SAMS report on the other-hand is a 295-page collection of case studies of similar practices in other parts of the world and shows very clearly the irreversible damages this practice can cause. Both reports in no way at all provide any basis to assume Deep Sea Tailings is safe.
Tailings in this practice would be released between 150 meters and 200 meters deep, depths that are claimed to be safe levels simply because this is the limit of the Eutrophic zone, part of the water column where light penetrates. Fish stocks are not found at these depths but this does not mean they will not be affected.
Fish like tuna, mackerel and marlin to name a few are all part of a food web that rely on plankton, copepods and other marine invertebrates and micro-organisims that sink to the bottom during the day and rise to the surface at night. If pollutants are introduced to their habitat, don’t you think that will have an effect on the food web?
Furthermore, if research in recent years has shown and continues to show marine life forms at the bottom of the Bismark sea to depths exceeding one thousand, six hundred meters (1600 metres), how can it be claimed that depths of 150 metres-200 metres where tailings would be pumped are at levels where there are no fish or marine life?
Finally, the tailings to be pumped out should be of such density that they avoid upwelling. This means the sea-floor gradient should be at an angle where tailings will flow all the way to the abysal plains.
The proposed Deep Sea Tailings plan show the pipe outlet draining to an underwater canyon that is only 800 metres deep. If one hundred (100) million tonnes of waste is dumped into this canyon, obviously it will make the canyon shallow. The shallower the canyon gets, the greater the high tide-low tide fluctuations in the area will get, leading to the same effects of a tidal wave in which tailings would surface and be carried back to land.
I am not an expert, nor was I involved in any way at all in debating this issue, but I have done my research and I know it is wrong to assume Deep Sea Tailings to be safe.
You are not an expert, so, the fear and catastrophe only exist in one place, your imagination.
There are already DSTPs in operation here in PNG and around the world and they are safe.
please give a complete list of all DSTPs around the world, ie by country. also a complete list of the mining companies involved. i want to research these facts, awaiting your reply …
Mine operations in Indonesia, South America, Canada and Europe have dstps operating and PNG has 3 already. Have we had any DSTP disasters in these mines?.
One has to consider just how similar in nature the tailings are to natural sedimentation and only a fraction of the volume..
perhaps both of you can update google and wikipedia sites with all your expert knowledge as the ONLY country mentioned is PNG, also while on wikipedia , check out all the scientific experts who have papers on this subject, it may enlighten you ?
The scientific experts and their scaremonger tales are all on papers…its all on paper. No substance. Tell us something new.
Warren, all those expert papers are centred around magic words like could, might, may, which is nothing environmentalist science.
None of them point out the catastrophes caused by DSTP anywhere.
The PNG courts had the sense to trash those expert papers.
so,do the world a favour, enlighten us all with your expert knowledge on the wikipedia site, also ; as stated google search. the whole scientific community will appreciate and applaud you, think of the fame you will achieve at home in Beijing
There was process to bring your case up and it was found wanting. You had your chance as I always say. What else do you want to know. It all means nothing. papers, stuff written up to scare people off. DSTP has been safe so far. It is in operation in PNG. And it is safe. W know what comes out at the DSTP outlet is mostly naturally occuring and nothing to be afraid of. The whole scientific community has nothing to offer PNG, nothing but paper, reports lies. scary lies and lies. Its mining and petroleum that has sustained this country. You lot have nothing to offer PNG except to send back people into caves with those meaningless reports.
You lot and global warming alarmists come from the same mold. Lies and predictions that wont scare anyone no more. So called scaremonger science has no place anywhere.
Name one DSTP operation that resulted in an environmental catastrophe.
what’s the matter “warren”?
Are you too lazy to do your own due diligence?
Warren….”please give a complete list of all DSTPs around the world, ie by country. also a complete list of the mining companies involved.”
Get off your own arse and do some real work, may be then you might realize the truth!…………………………….these particular tailings are not toxic.
Warren, if you are ignorant then a person who lnows more that you might/may/could/is possibly a “scientific expert”.
That “expertise” arises out of your ignorance.
“knows”
re Inows , thanks wesely, i know its difficult for you to translate from chinese to english, it shows in everything you write.
If someone says that these Deep Se dumping shit is not Toxic than that person is an ignorant, stupid human person. If you alter any original creation it will come with a price. The creators intention is not to dump toxic, waste etc. Human’s earthly activities has led so calamities because that was not the original intention of creation. The intentions are to live in harmony with these creations.
Those who says nothing will happen are either greedy of money and works hard to protect his/her greediness and definitely are in the mining companies payroll.
And the volcanoes, the rivers, the landslides were never intended to deposit stuff into the oceans.
Which temple does that creator live? If you want to live in harmony with nature don’t get out of bed or you might step over several million bugs in the grass. How very scientific you are.
Toxic what? What is toxic?
This is a very logical scientific approach to explain why the world was created in seven days.
We should turn to God and seek his consent to DSTP before allowing government bodies to consider teh science of the topic.
How wise you are Aporosa, how very wise.