Middle Ramu Cooperative Society PO BOX 905 Section 50 lot 4, town, Province Papua . Cell: 675 73585539 / 76537010. Email: [email protected]

21st August, 2020

Our Prime Minister Hon. James Marape, MP Parliament House WAIGANI National Capital District

Copied: Hon. Davis Madava Steven, MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Justice & Attorney General Hon. Johnson Ibo Tuke, MP, Minister for Mining Hon. Jimmy Uguro, MP, Vice Minister for Mining Hon. Wera Mori, MP, Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change Hon. Peter Charles Yama, MP, Governor for Madang Jerry Garry, Managing Director, Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) Gunther Joku, Managing Director, Conservation, Environment and Promotion Authority

Emails sent to: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

RE: IMMEDIATE HALT TO METALLURGICAL CORPORATION OF CHINA (MCC) MINING PROJECT IN KRUMBAKARI, UPPER RAMU DISTRICT, UNTIL INDEPENDENT IMPACT STUDIES ARE DONE

Dear Prime Minister, Hon. James Marape,

We are delivering the following letter in the hope that our voices will be heard in the protection of our Ramu River that has sustained our lives, livelihoods and cultures for centuries.

Our Ramu River has been devastated by the chromite waste coming from the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) Kurumbukari (Ramu) Mine, that makes up two of three processing plants of the Ramu NiCo project.1

1 Papua New Guineans and the world have now learnt of the millions of tons of mine waste dumped into the waters of since 2012 by MCC Ramu NiCo project’s third processing plant located 135km from the Kurumbukari mine in Basamuk Bay on the coast of Madang Province. A series of tailings pipeline spills and evidence of the accumulation of environmental and health impacts has resulted in a coalition of more than 5,000 villagers and the Madang provincial government suing the company and demanding MCC to pay $5.2 billion in restitution, to stop dumping mine waste into the ocean and to remediate the contaminated waters.

As River Peoples and the communities from Upper Ramu we are also suffering from the MCC Ramu NiCo project. Our communities along the river were not a party to the Initial Agreement of the (MCC) Kurumbukari Mine project. There was no Free Prior and Informed Consent from our communities for this development, however, we are the most impacted and affected.

It is our understanding that the Ramu NiCo project incorporates two processing plants at the Kurumbukari open-pit mine site, the wash plant adjacent to the open pits and the beneficiation plant located about 1.5km from the wash plant. These two plants treat the mined ore to first remove coarse material waste and then treat the material to remove chromite before sending the nickel-cobalt rich concentrate to the third plant, the Basamuk plant located 135 km downstream from the Kurumbukari mine on the Madang coast.

The mine project has no tailings dams to contain the chromite waste from this process, it is dumped into two streams that run into our Ramu River. The environmental destruction from the chromite waste being dumped from the Kurumbukari mine project is creating an Ok Tedi disaster of our Ramu River.

There is research and evidence of the environmental and health impacts of chromite in drinking water2 and its toxicity in water systems.3 Despite this, there has been no independent impact studies conducted by CEPA or other relevant bodies on the chromite waste from the Krumbukari mining operation into the Ramu River.

We have been documenting many environmental and health concerns that in turn are also impacting our communities along the river environmentally, economically, socially, culturally and spiritually (see Appendix 1 for photos of impacts).

Impacts include:

• Our fish and prawns are being poisoned by the mine waste with many species dying out; • Our vegetation is being poisoned by the mine waste which has become a high food security risk as our food crops are being destroyed from gardening patterns that have been used for centuries; • Our bodies are being poisoned, this is severely impacting our health and livelihoods including higher rates than normal of our women dying at an early age from cervical cancer;

2 • Sedimentation caused by the chromite mine waste has built up in the Ramu River blocking our travel routes and impacting our livelihoods and local economies; • Sedimentation caused by the mine waste has rapidly changed the natural state of the river and creating great concern that there will be overflow spill in some areas and eventually a complete stop to the flow of river system; • In the wet season the change of natural flow caused by the sedimentation of the waste in the Ramu River is causing landslides, erosion and other destruction to our natural environment; • Erosion run-off degrades water quality and has destroyed traditional fishing grounds downstream.

These are just some of the impacts we are experiencing and documenting due to the chromite waste coming from the Krumbukari mining operation.

Our health, our education, our food chains, our food security, our livelihoods, our health, our natural river beds, and our natural ecosystems - that we have lived with and protected for centuries - are being desecrated and destroyed by the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) Kurumbukari (Ramu) Mine that is a part of the Ramu NiCo project.

The impacts from the Kurumbukari mine chromite and other heavy metals waste present many obstacles to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a global call to action supported by Papua New Guinean government and institutions to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. Currently the mine chromite waste impedes several SDGs including ending poverty; zero hunger; good health and well-being; clean water and sanitation; decent work and economic growth; life on land; and life below water. (See Appendix 2)

Therefore, we call for the immediate halt of all Kurumbukari (Ramu) Mine operations until:

• Independent studies are undertaken from the impacts of the chromite and other waste being dumped into the Ramu River and the communities to be protected and remediated based on the results;

• That the independent impact studies must include environmental, social, economic, gender and cultural impact studies; and

• The mine is not restarted without the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of all impacted customary landowners and communities along the Ramu River.

Under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People to which Papua New Guinea is a party, it is important to allow Indigenous People to exercise their right to give Free, Prior and Informed Consent to projects affecting our Land Territories and Natural Resources.

Our natural Ramu River has been a source of our lives and livelihoods and a pride of our Indigenous cultures for centuries. We want to keep it that way.

3 Sincerely,

4

1 It should be noted that in 2019, Canadian company, Conic Metals Corp., an electric vehicle battery metals investment company, acquired Highland Pacific’s ownership share in the Ramu NiCo project. The company promised a responsible alternative to source critical metals necessary to meet the growing demand for electric vehicle batteries and touted Ramu as its principal asset, see more here: https://earthworks.org/blog/come-on- conic/. Storebrand, a major Norwegian asset management company, divested from MCC this year over the environmental impacts of ocean dumping, joining CitiGroup and Standard Chartered in taking a stand against the practice. See: https://earthworks.org/blog/why-did-a-norwegian-firm-ditch-a-chinese-company-over- what-its-doing-in-papua-new-guinea/

2 Defra (2015) ‘Understanding the Significance of Chromium in Drinking Water’, WRc Ref: 8930.04/15745-0. Available at: http://www.dwi.gov.uk/research/completed-research/reports/DWI70-2-275.pdf

3 Gunkel-Grillon, Peggy & Christine, Laporte-Magoni & Lemestre, Monika & Bazire, Nicolas. (2014). ,Toxic chromium release from nickel mining sediments in surface waters, New Caledonia’. Environmental Chemistry Letters. 12. 10.1007/s10311-014-0475-1. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269359634_Toxic_chromium_release_from_nickel_mining_sedim ents_in_surface_waters_New_Caledonia

5 APPENDIX 1: IMPACTS OF METALLURGICAL CORPORATION OF CHINA (MCC) MINING PROJECT IN KRUMBAKARI, UPPER RAMU DISTRICT, MADANG ON THE RAMU RIVER SYSTEM

The following are photos taken through by the Middle Ramu Cooperative Society showing the impacts on the Upper Ramu District from the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) Kurumbukari (Ramu) Mine.

[Left] Mining Bridge Crossing Ramu river. [Right] Krumbukari mine and township. [Below] Mouth of the two streams running from the Krumbukari mine into the Ramu River during the dry season

Appendix 1: Impacts 1 [Above] Mouth of streams with chromite mine waste running from the Krumbukari mine into the Ramu River during the wet season

Appendix 1: Impacts 2 [Above] Sedimentation narrowing runway of the Ramu River System

Appendix 1: Impacts 3 [Above] During wet season the Ramu River floods, due to the sedimentation the river runs very fast causing erosion, land slides and changing routes. [Below] Sedimentation, erosion and landslide create land forms in the middle of the Ramu River impacting the natural river flow speed and run off.

Appendix 1: Impacts 4 [Above] Sediment build up forces early seasonal flooding of our food gardens, this results in forced food harvesting placing our communities at great food security risk.

Appendix 1: Impacts 5 APPENDIX 2: MIDDLE RAMU COOPERATIVE SOCIETY MITIGATING MINE IMPACTS AND wORK TOWARDS ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs)

The Middle Ramu Cooperative Society (MRCS) is a partner for change in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to our communities of the Middle Ramu District. By delivering on the SDGs we are aiming to mitigate some of the devastating impacts from the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) Kurumbukari (Ramu) Mine.

However, the impacts from the Kurumbukari mine, particularly the chromite and other heavy metals waste dumped in the Ramu River present many obstacles for us to fully achieve the SDGs. The SDGs are a global call to action supported by the Papua New Guinean government and relevant PNG institutions to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity.

Currently the Kurumbukari mine and its impacts on our communities and Ramu River impede the achievement of SDGs including ending poverty; zero hunger; good health and well-being; clean water and sanitation; decent work and economic growth; life on land; and life below water.

The Middle Ramu Cooperative Society has developments and activities that are sustainable and locally driven alternatives to the foreign-owned Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) Kurumbukari (Ramu) Mine. This includes:

1. The MRCS Cocoa Nursery Development which has raised 50,000 cocoa clones to supply farmers of Arabaka LLG. A total of 1,000,000 cocoa clones will be distributed to 5000 farmers by 2022

Middle Ramu Cooperative Society Cocoa Nursery Development

Appendix 2: MRCS and SDGs 1 2. MRCS Solar Water Irrigation to deliver clean water to the our local communities, schools and the Cocoa Nursery. Through our research we have identified that 14 Primary Schools need to be supported with clean water.

Middle Ramu Cooperative well water irrigated to the 18,000 liters Tuffa Tanks for distribution to the Cocoa Nursery, schools and local communities

The adverse and negative impacts imposed on our communities by the Kurumbukari Mine has created many challenges for the Middle Ramu Cooperative Society to deliver not only on the SDGs but also the ongoing benefits our Cooperative provides our members and communities, including:

• Promoting access to markets for our local economies; • Providing efficient and sustainable farming skills and systems advanced skills as well as leadership and management; • Facilitating access to clean water and sanitation services to make up for the failures of both the public and private sectors, therefore improving livelihoods through provision of clean water; • Facilitating access to education by increasing household incomes, which translates into the ability to meet educational costs. Cooperatives can also be a direct source of financing education i.e. supporting teachers and schools; establishing local schools to provide quality education to both youth and adults; and creating community centers for lifelong learning; • Achieving gender equality through education, employment and livelihoods opportunities especially for women and girls in rural & informal economies; • Advance our traditional sustainable use and management of our natural resources by setting rules to achieve common and long-term benefits among members and our communities; and • Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity of our local communities to natural disasters especially in the face of climate change.

Therefore, we call for the immediate halt of all Kurumbukari (Ramu) Mine operations until independent studies are undertaken from the impacts of the chromite and other waste being dumped into the Ramu River.

These impact studies must include environmental, social, economic, gender and cultural impact studies.

Appendix 2: MRCS and SDGs 2