Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
of this hardworking labor force, visitors to Vatukoula today will not
fi nd a prosperous and healthy economy or environment. Instead, the
community of Vatukoula has experienced little economic growth at the
expense of decades of environmental degradation.
On the morning of December 5, 2006, Emperor Mines Ltd. (EML)
announced the sudden closure the Vatukoula gold mine, which had
operated continuously for 73 years. Following an internal three-month
review, the company indicated that the mine was no longer economically
viable (Emperor Mines Limited, 2007). That day, 1,760 mine employees,
their families, local businesses, and government offi cials were shocked
to learn that their source of livelihoods for over seven decades had
suddenly disappeared. After months of uncertainty and economic hard-
ship, the mine was purchased by Westech Gold Pty Ltd. (Westech),
an Australian-based company that began the process of resuming
operations at Vatukoula on a smaller scale in August 2007. The unan-
ticipated closure of the mine left Fiji's citizens questioning whether the
income from this mineral resource was utilized effectively. Although
the event caused hardship to many, it may also serve as an important
opportunity for refl ection on the sustainability of mining as a means
of development, and the risks and benefi ts that accompany such develop-
ment activities.
Throughout the history of the mine, Vatukoula residents have repeat-
edly expressed concern over the environmental contamination of surface
waters, drinking water, and sulfur dioxide emissions. The case has all the
characteristics that are highlighted in many of the early environmental
justice studies in developed countries such as the United States (Bullard
2002), but with the added multinational dimension of the mine's opera-
tions. In February 1991, over 400 mine workers went on strike to protest
alleged low wages, unsafe working conditions, health concerns, poor
housing, and poor environmental standards (Macdonald 2004). The case
was eventually dismissed based on a technicality; however, in the eyes of
the strikers, the dispute remains unresolved. After more than sixteen
years, a core group of former miners continue to sit in protest outside the
mine on a daily basis. The community's primary water source, the Nasivi
River, has been severely impacted by sewage and mine wastes (Fiji
Geochemical Laboratory 2005; Fiji Geochemical Laboratory 2006).
Despite this contamination, Vatukoula residents have been forced
to drink untreated water from the river for decades. The major cause
of illness at the local school is the consumption of contaminated
water, because there is limited treated water available to students (Anjali,
