BHP's Ok Tedi mine dumps 80,000 tonnes of waste into the river each day. Click on the picture to view a larger image. The Ok Tedi River is dying. Its fish and the forest surrounding the river are dying. The river is bloated with milky-grey sediment and won't recover for generations.
Local people depend on the river for water, food and transport.
BHP, the major shareholder in the Ok Tedi mine, will spend thousands on public relations activities as an Olympic sponsor. It will cost many more millions to restore the environment and create sustainable livelihoods for all the people of the Ok Tedi and Fly Rivers affected by the mine. In Australia a mining company would not be allowed to dump 80,000 tonnes of waste each day into a river or harbour. With your support we can make sure that Papua New Guinea is not out of sight, out of mind. Email Igor O'Neill.