The Ok Tedi Mine:

Copper and Gold Tailings

Papua New Guinea

Gogodala Villagers

The Gogodalas are an indigenous people in which 8 of their villages are located on the lower Fly River downstream from the mine. These ancestrial people depend upon sago palms, bananas and other garden foods, all of which are being destroyed by the pollution in the Fly River. Fish populations have fallen by 70 to 90 percent and many animals have fled the areas.

A photo of the dying Sago Palms that many of the
Papua New Guinea Villagers depend on.

Another effect that pollution has is on the health of the people. It has been noted that those who swim in these rivers have received sores in their noses and only the pollution can be found to be the blame. Unfortunately, some of the people of Gogodala tribe are unaware as to why they are seeing their river and banks change as they have over the past years. They mostly believe that the wastes are coming from an 'up river area' of the Fly River. However, there are many that do understand what is taking place, as the daily barges travel up and down the river transporting much of the products from the mine. The villagers have come to believe that the pollution is only temporary. They are convinced that once the mining is over, the pollution will clear itself up and the resources they have always depended upon will come back as wealthy as they have always been. The monetary compensation the Gogodala villagers receive from OTML, for what they believe to be a short-term enviromental problem, is often accepted with little thought.