DEAR EDITOR, the mining issue in Santa Cruz, Temotu province has become at the peak of discussion both in the village, the outskirt of Lata Township and even in the social media.
The anti – miners and the pro – miners have been arguing in words through social media and other media Recently when the pro – miners clients arrived in Lata the anti – miners which mostly the land owners of Santa Cruz set up a road block to avoid the pro – miners and their clients from going further inland.
Mining will bring a great devastation to a large mass of land. Taking into accounts the environmental impacts that the mining will cause which includes, erosion, formation of sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, and contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water by chemicals from mining processes.
Problem that landowners will experience is poor soil fertility for cultivation of land for gardening.
As once a rural dweller living on subsistence agriculture, I call on the pro – miners and their clients to withdraw their plan of mining on Santa Cruz because after they left, it will us the landowners who will suffer those negative impacts left behind.
Jenny Inaplo
Suva
