THE Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is partnering with PNG to control mine waste management in the country.
The deal was signed between JICA, the Mineral Resources Authority, Department of Mineral Policy and Geohazard Management (DMPGM) and Conservation and the Environment Protection Authority in Port Moresby last Friday.
Reviews from DMPGM showed that PNG lacked comprehensive policies and regulation frameworks to control increasing mining activities within the country in last decade resulting in considerable amount of mine pollution affecting surrounding environments where mine activities were present.
MRA managing director Philip Samar said: “PNG currently has nine operating mines and these mines have their fair share of contribution in terms of mine wastes whether it’s generated from the mine, industrial waste from fuel; all of those are waste from mine.
“Look at the next ten years, four next world class mines are set to come on stream … Wafi, bigger than Ok Tedi, Frieda, Yandera and Mt Kare plus two others. If we are not able to manage the wastage, that put out by the existing nine then we are simply playing a catch up game. Mine waste is something that needs to be managed and managed well.”
JICA chief representative Shigeru Sugiyama said technical cooperation between the agency (JICA) and PNG would ensure that development of the country’s mining sector was economically stable and at same time environmentally responsible.
“This cooperation will improve the strategic framework of environmental management focused on waste from mines across the country,” he said.
“Parallel with framework its output is set to come up with data collection analysis of mine waste. This output is expected to assist the PNG Government in the mining sector, to elevate the capacity of capturing and monitoring the overall impact of mining activity and contribute to improve the transparency in the sector.”