Transcript
The Ramu nickel mine has been temporarily closed by the government pending an investigation into the August spill in which 200,000 litres of toxic slurry flowed into the ocean.
Fishing is now banned in the area as Rai coast resident Amili Deide explains.
"The colour of the saltwater was turned to red. Now they stop all the catches, the provincial government, they stop the local people to get the fish because most of the fish are contaminated and the people are very afraid. Salt water pollution and all this so most of the people are not using the salt water to wash."
The Rai coast has been declared safe for swimming, however, a community health worker from the Saidor health centre, Lynette Dawo, says people are still afraid of the ocean after some children went in to wash shortly after the spill.
"Kids went down to the sea to have their washing. When they came out they were screaming for their skin itchiness all over, and they had blisters all over. People just rushed over and told them to go to the river and to wash with the fresh water. Now we told all the kids not to go and wash in the sea."
Ms Dawo says large marine mammals and fish have since been washing up dead.
"We encountered a very big dolphin. It just washed up on the shore to our own beach. A very big one. They buried it and reported it to the marine people. They came and told them to dig it up and when they dug it up they just cut off the intestines and take it away. And then we had a big turtle that died and washed up to the shore. And then another dugong died, washed up to the shore. And we had about 27 tuna, the very big ones, they all died same time and just washed up to the shore and people got them and buried them."
Another Saidor resident, Norman Nayak, says fishermen and Rai coast communities that depend on seafood are now struggling.
He says these are the same people that welcomed the mine.
"We were all excited thinking it would be a change to bring development into the area. We were thinking that they would help constructing bridges and making improvement in the infrastructure there but nothing has happened so far.
"Recently with the spill-off, seeing the ocean getting red people were so scared and shouting 'government has to put a stop to this mining'. It has brought nothing, no development to the locals."
Lynette Dawo says people have become so frustrated they could retaliate against the miner.
"This company is one of the greediest companies, doesn't provide anything good for the people. There's no roads. Nothing good is done. There's primary schools, we have two secondary high schools here but they don't even support anything.
"Our health centre is run down, they are doing nothing. That's one of the greediest companies working here in Papua New Guinea."
The mine's owner the Metallurgical Corporation of China has not responded to a request for comment.
