31 May 2021

But even current and former government officials have conceded that the way previous governments handled the process of land acquisition and granted leases for the bauxite mining industry did not abide by mining regulations and has harmed the community.

[...]

People in West Rennell say that the arrival of mining and logging operations also changed the fabric of social life. Shops selling alcohol sprang up in villages near mining and logging camps.

In Lavagu village, Rosemary Tingi’ia said families had been destroyed by the impact of the foreign miners, who have had children to foreign mining workers.

[...]

And then, in February 2019, Rennell Island was the site of the most serious man-made disaster in the country’s history. During Cyclone Oma, a bulk carrier, the MV Solomon Trader, carrying 700 tonnes of oil, ran aground on Kongobainiu reef.

The carrier, hired by mining company Bintan Mining Solomon Islands, had been attempting to load bauxite from a nearby mine on the island. It spilled 300 tonnes of oil into the pristine bay.

The water turned black, people reported being forced to drink rainwater, because their fresh water sources were contaminated and, unable to fish, were reliant on deliveries of food from Honiara, 250km away. At Avatai village, every chicken died a week after the spill and children suffered skin and eye infections.

The owner of the vessel, King Trader, and its South Korean insurer, P&I Club, apologised for the spill in March 2019, describing the situation as “ totally unacceptable”. In a statement the companies said “although matters of liability are yet to be determined … [we] have expressed deep remorse”. The statement said they were “acutely aware of environmental damage” and were working as quickly as possible to bring the spill under control.