Stop Iron Sand Extraction in Sigatoka and save our communities: K2

Ni sa Bula Vinaka,

A massive sand extraction is due to begin in 2017 starting at Kulukulu Village, the greater Sigatoka river mouth and its surrounding waterways, right up toward the town and adjacent land and villages from the town to Kulukulu river mouth. This sand extraction will affect the local fish stock as well as white bait spawning, crabs and all other sea creatures that thrive in the waters and sand banks, tributaries, mangroves and swamps of the Sigatoka river.


If we do not stop this mining operation now, it will destroy our environment for all future generations.


SIGN THE PETITION. STOP IRONSAND MINING IN SIGATOKA.


 Stop Iron Sand Extraction In Sigatoka and Save Our Communities in Kulukulu (& surrounding areas) is an action group made up of local villagers and residents, hoteliers and business people, tourists and visitors that oppose the Sand Iron Ore extraction by an Australian registered mining company and any other entity that is due to start early 2017 just downstream from the sigatoka town Centre.
 Department of Mineral Resources (DoMR) plans to allow the extraction of 131,000000 tonnes of material from this site; generating extensive air, noise and other pollution with significant increase in Dump Trucks and other Heavy Goods Vehicle traffic through villages in the area and leaving a landfill of inert waste in its place. The waste, in my opinion, is only good to be landfill and will have no value, being no good to plant-on or to support any life form or organism for a very long time to come and will affect all residents, business, hotels and tourists as well as destroy all organisms and the food chain in the Sigatoka and surrounding coral Coast areas. There will be no fish, whitebait (cigana) crabs, shellfish, mussels (kai), clams (vasua), octopus (kuita) and other sea organisms like the sea cucumber (dri). All life will be severely affected by mining all that material from Sigatoka.


What will become of the famed Sigatoka Sand Dunes? Will our Sevens here's be proud of a wasted landfill that will NOT support life for the locals and all businesses that depend on the ecosystem created by the balance of iron ore sand, the sea and the Fijian people? Have your say and stop it now.


A company statement found in their investment brochure online at http://www.domegoldmines.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Dome-Gold-Mines-Corporate-Profile-July-2014.pdf says:


"Production will commence in the Sigatoka River bed because  The Fiji Government wants the river dredged for flood mitigation & navigation purposes  The approvals process will be simple and quick".


We hope there was no corrupt practice involved to make it simple and quick or to fast-track mining license approvals for Sigatoka. Adding to that, what will become of landfill sand that is light due to iron ore being extracted do for the riverbed? It may slide right back into the river and block more waterways. It may even get washed out to sea and also end up on the lovely National Trust Reserve Sigatoka Sand Dunes. It could also be blown by the wind over a greater area then it is now. Very serious.
 
Find more info on these plans please look up their website and Fiji Government, Mineral Resources website.
Here is something that will baffle you as to how much sand and rock will be extracted and mined from under our feet in the Sigatoka & Kulukulu vicinities alone:


"Based on exploration undertaken... a Maiden JORC 2012 Resource Estimate of 131.6 million tonnes was announced in October 2014, which included Indicated Mineral Resources of 25 million tonnes @ 11.6% HM at Sigatoka River, and Inferred Mineral Resources of 100.7 MT @ 17% HM at the onshore Kulukulu prospect and 5.9 million tonnes @ 11% HM at Sigatoka River (see ASX release dated 10 October 2014)."


131 MILLION TONNES - How shocking is that? So much sand and rock being taken out of Sigatoka. Will it leave a gaping hole?
Please sign our petition today and let This mining company know that you oppose this, we only have until early 2017 to let decision makers know how we feel. You may also Register your opposition with the Dept of Mineral Resources directly.


The land was created by God for the benefit of everyone and not just one company to make money for their overseas investors who do not live here to feel the effects, of a desolate piece of land that may not sustain life; because it has been bled dry of all its natural minerals.
 
Vinaka Vakalevu.