Video: 'No Limestone' is the chant as young people protest against the proposed commercial limestone and cement project on their island.
Local people living in Kido island on the coast of Central Province say a commercial limestone project will cause irreparable damage to their lives and subsistence livelihoods and to the natural environmental.
Community members say they have been denied access to all the project documentation, including a risk evaluation report, and local leaders were manipulated into signing an MOA without proper information and consultation.
Mayur Resources has already begun preliminary operations on the island with initial works impacting traditional garden and fishing sites and, say locals, threatening the bore hole which is their only source for fresh water.
IMAGE - Kido village is located within a few km of the limestone mining area which sits directly in the pathway of the south east trade wind that blows towards the village. The dust and noise from the mine site will blow direct towards and on the village, say locals.
People say once the mining is fully operational they will lose access to most of their garden land which is within the proposed mining boundary and they will be forced onto a diet of store bought rice and tinned fish. They say the initial plans for Mayur to relocate the garden areas by moving the top soil have been abandoned as the company now say the idea is unfeasible.
People also fear the social and health issues the project will cause and the impacts of dust from the mining activities being blown by the prevailing south east winds directly over their village. There is also noise pollution from the earth works and heavy equipment and waste oil and fuels that could poison the waterways, soils and water table and, ultimately the water bore.
The people say they have been shocked by the visible environmental impact of just the preliminary earthworks with heavy machinery, trucks, drilling and blasting causing permanent scars on the landscape and destroying natural plants and vegetation.
They are also worried by the impact of the earthworks on the stability of the land with surface water already causing soil erosion and rain water creating new channels that will cause siltation of rivers and streams.
Image - Preiminary earthworks are already scaring the landscape and causing environmental damage
The environmental destruction being witnessed is not only affecting the land. Drilling, blasting and earth moving for the construction of a new jetty has destroyed the marine ecology of seagrasses, coral reefs and fishing grounds.
People are now worried that changes to the local currents and flow of the sea, which have been completely altered, will impact the coastal mangroves they rely on for fish, crabs and other shellfish. They are also seeing changes to the tides on the other side of the island with frequent flooding that is threatening their homes.
