An aerial view of the abandoned Panguna mine pit. Photo: OCCRP / Aubrey Belford
There are calls for mining giant Rio Tinto to step up and accept accountability for the devastation caused by the Panguna mine in Bougainville.
This comes after the release of draft results of an investigation into the damage has confirmed what many people have been saying for years.
The mine in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region was operated by Rio Tinto until it was forced to close by the civil war in 1989.
Rio Tinto divested itself of shares in its subsidiary, Bougainville Copper Ltd, in 2016, but in 2021 it agreed to fund an independent human rights and environmental impact assessment of the mine.
Australia's Human Rights Law Centre has been supporting the people of Bougainville to seek remedies for the devastation caused and says corporations must be held accountable when their actions impact people and the planet.
It says communities in Bougainville have just received the draft results from the investigation, which focused on the most serious areas of concern.
Locals walk by buildings left abandoned by a subsidiary of Rio Tinto at the Panguna mine site. Photo: OCCRP / Aubrey Belford
They show thousands of people continue to live with major ongoing risks including:
- Life-threatening risks posed by collapsing infrastructure and levees.
- Mine-related flooding contaminating food sources, and affecting access to drinking water and essential services.
- Toxic chemicals found in the soil of certain areas.
While backing the costs of the investigation Rio Tinto has not made any commitment to fund solutions.
But a Bougainville MP from the Panguna district, Theonila Roka Matbob, said "it is now time for Rio Tinto to come out public and make its commitment known to the people so that it can restore its trust as a company, as an institution."
She is the lead complainant and has been instrumental in advocating for the communities which continue to be affected.
The Human Rights Law Centre said "we are working with communities to push Rio Tinto to commit to funding long-term solutions so people can live safely on their land again.
In an unrelated case, more than five thousand Bougainvilleans are suing Rio Tinto over the toxic legacy of the mine.
An initial court hearing has been held this month in Port Moresby.