Opens The Floodgates To Extreme Hazards

Government plans to allow gold mining in steep, unstable conservation land above and bordering Thames township are "stupid and reckless, because mining will increase the risk of catastrophic flooding and landslides in the town", says Coromandel Watchdog spokesperson and Thames lawyer Denis Tegg. "The risk is not just from conventional floodwater but from an even more disastrous and life-threatening landslide hazard called a debris flow."

A 2006 Report by GNS Science1 warns that in a weather bomb, a debris flow could sweep car-sized boulders weighing up to 50 tonnes, and other debris into the town without warning, at up to 50 km per hour, endangering lives and devastating homes and businesses. The Report says a debris flow is more "lethal and destructive" than floodwater alone.

"Exploration activities by mining companies include forest clearance, cutting of tracks, roads, and grid lines, excavations for drilling platforms, test pits, and drilling. Mining would mean frequent explosions, major excavations for access roads, rock crushing and chemical processing plants, and possibly a tailings dam. And Mr. Brownlee won't rule out even open pit mining!. These activities all increase the chance of landslips and debris falling into streams, flooding, and a debris flow". Four at-risk streams flow out of the Conservation land.

"Taxpayers and ratepayers have spent $millions on flood protection, pest control, erosion and landslip control measures in the Conservation land. Mr. Brownlee's mining plan is just plain dumb, and its foolhardy. It jeopardises all that good work, and puts the interests of foreign-owned gold mining companies ahead of protecting the lives, houses and businesses of local people."

"The conservation land is very steep and unstable. It has emergent forest cover and is starting to heal after past devastation from logging and mining. It's a no-brainer that mining excavations and vegetation clearance must be avoided at all costs."

"Mining increases the risks of flooding and landslips. These are extra risks the townsfolk and taxpayers don't need to take and will not stand for." says Mr. Tegg. "Mr Key and Mr Brownlee need to realise that for Thames, and the country, the immense wealth of this land lies in conserving the soil and keeping it's protective mantle of forest cover, not in digging it up for any gold beneath."

1 The Potential For Debris Flows from Karaka Stream at Thames M.J. McSaveney, R.D. Beetham. GNS Science February 2006

ENDS

© Scoop Media