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Environment and Conservation Division is Monitoring Gold Ridge Tailings Dam
The Environment and Conservation Division with the support from the National Disaster Management Office is continuing to monitor the Gold Ridge tailings Dam after water level rose to dangerous levels following heavy rainfall in recent weeks.
Latest data collected on site showed that on the 1st April 2021 the level of water at the spillway was recorded at 58.0cm (freeboard) below the highest point of the current spillway and on the 6th of April, the level of water rose by 2cm and reduced the freeboard to 56cm as a result of rainfall. What is clear is such low freeboard poses an overall elevated risk for the dam, although the spillway is designed to ease water pressure on the main dam wall.
The generally high rainfall for the month of April is worrying because water level at the dam is very sensitive to rainfall and therefore poses a threat to the main dam wall, and elevates the risk of uncontrolled spillage through the spillway.
Goldridge Mining Limited (GRML) has been in possession of license to discharge water from the dam after treatment. However, they have not been able to do that because the treatment plant needs repair. GRML has also been consulting with downstream communities and their respective associations on their plans for the safety of the dam.
The ministry will continue to monitor the dam, and liaise with GRML to remedy the risk posed by the high level of water in the dam underpinned by environmental safety, and the safety of our down stream communities and stakeholders.
Ends//
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- Category: Environment & Conservation
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.
UNDP strives to support the Pacific by coordinating UN activities at country level and through direct policy advice in four key areas: Poverty Reduction and attainment of the MDGs, Strengthening Institutions of Democratic Governance, Crisis Prevention and Recovery and Sustainable Environmental Management. UNDP provides services to the Pacific through the Multi-Country Office in Fiji, Joint UN Presences in Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, as well as projects in each of the 10 countries.
PROCUREMENT NOTICE
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), acting as Global Environment Facility (GEF) implementing agency, is providing support to the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology, Solomon Islands Government, rolling out the Safeguarding Solomon Islands endemic and globally threatened biodiversity and ecosystem services from key threats, particularly invasive alien species , and unsustainable land management practices(SAFE Project) ,Project Planning Grant Initiation. The objective of the GEF PPG is to develop the project concept into a full project: Safeguarding Solomon Islands endemic and globally threatened biodiversity and ecosystem services from key threats, particularly invasive alien species and unsustainable land use practices (SAFE project), and is aiming to safeguard Solomon Islands indigenous species and ecosystems from invasive alien species, land degradation, unsustainable resource use and climate-induced risks through effective government enabling and capacity, community participation and resilient blue/green livelihoods. The services of a national consultant are required to cover the blue green economy and livelihood aspect of the project document development/PPG process.
The National Blue/Green Economy and Livelihoods Consultant will lead the technical information gathering on blue-green economic development and livelihoods opportunities and prepare relevant technical documents and project Annexes for completion of the Project Document ensuring adherence of project development to UNDP’s SESP and specific requirements, as appropriate. The consultant will be a socio-economic or community livelihoods expert with hands-on experience of working with communities. The consultant will prepare a detailed work plan to be signed-off by the PPG Team leader.
Under the overall coordination of the PPG Team Leader and working with other team members, the consultant will participate in and support the entire PPG process, information gathering, field visits, project development and the preparation of the ProDoc/GEF CEO Endorsement Request package.
Title: National Consultant – National Blue Green Economy and Livelihoods Consultant
Contract Type: Individual Contractor
Contract Duration: 40 Working Days from February to December 2021
Location: Honiara
For full terms of references for this position you can find on https://procurement-notices.undp.org/, reference number 75187. Or please contact Procurement Unit on tel: 27446 or call into the United Nations Joint Presence Office, Ground Floor ANZ Building Ranadi, Kukum Highway, Honiara.
Applications must include a cover letter, current Curriculum Vitae with full recent contact details of three referees, confirmation of interest and availability form, technical proposal and a signed UNDP P-11 form.
All applications to be submitted by close of business, Tuesday 23rd February 2021 at 5:00 pm, Honiara time, either electronically to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or addressed under confidential cover as follows:
National Blue Green Economy and Livelihoods Consultant
UN Joint Presence Office
Ground Floor, ANZ Haus Ranadi, Kukum Highway
PO Box 1954, Honaira, Solomon Islands
Incomplete applications will not be considered and only candidates for whom there is further interest will be contacted. Additional information including the Post Profile, Confirmation of Interest and availability form and P-11 form is available from the UNDP website: pacific.undp.org/content/pacific/en/home/jobs.html or the UN Joint Presence Office, Ground Floor, ANZ Haus Ranadi, Kukum Highway, Honiara.
For further information concerning this Terms of Reference, contact Joanne Aihunu on email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / telephone +677 27446 Ext 5524:
- Details
- Category: Environment & Conservation
S
Minister Mua Panakitasi makes a familiarization visit
The new Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology Honorable Dickson Mua Panakatasi has on Friday 9th October embarked on a familiarization visit to Gold Ridge Mining Limited and Win Win Investment Company both located in Central Guadalcanal.
The visit to the two sites was to introduce the Minister to the kind of work the Ministry is engaged with stakeholders and partners in mining through the Environment and Conservation Division (ECD).
While Introducing the team from the Ministry, Permanent Secretary Dr Melchior Mataki thanked members of the GRML Board of Directors both local and international for accepting the Ministry’s request to have the recently appointed Minister to take this important tour to help familiarize himself with the work of the Ministry with some stakeholders in the mining sector and also to hear the progress GRML under its new owners has made since taking over the mine.
Minister Mua thanked the GRML Board for allowing the visit to take place. He said as the new Minister it is good to have a clearer understanding of their operation and familiarize himself with stakeholders that the Ministry works with especially under the Environment Act.
“From this visit I’m sure I will have a fair idea of the progress you have made and how the mining is going to be done here which will enable me to update cabinet and caucus should questions arise” Minister Mua said
The Ministers remarks was followed by a very comprehensive presentation by senior executives of the company who joined in virtually via zoom from abroad. Their presentation focused mainly on how GRML will be carrying out its mining operation. This was followed by a tour of the GRML plant.
Further down the GRML mining site, the Minister and his team also visited Win Win Investment limited a small alluvial mining establishment that started in 2016.
Speaking to the team, local company director Charles Fox Meke said what they have is just another form of mining similar to hand panning with the use of a few machineries to extract gold from the riverbed.
“The main difference from what you visited this morning at GRML is we only use water to separate the gold from the sand that we extract from the river” he said. The visit concluded with the team being shown how gold is separated from sand and soil using very simple shaking- table technology.
GRML and Win Win investment are both located in Central Guadalcanal and have a good working relationship with each other. The two companies are sharing resources to upgrade the road that leads to the two mine sites.
The ministry through ECD will continue to monitor both mining operations and others throughout the country for compliance to the Environment Act.
Ends//
- Details
- Category: Environment & Conservation
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.
UNDP strives to support the Pacific by coordinating UN activities at country level and through direct policy advice in four key areas: Poverty Reduction and attainment of the MDGs, Strengthening Institutions of Democratic Governance, Crisis Prevention and Recovery and Sustainable Environmental Management. UNDP provides services to the Pacific through the Multi-Country Office in Fiji, Joint UN Presences in Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, as well as projects in each of the 10 countries.
PROCUREMENT NOTICE
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), acting as Global Environment Facility (GEF) implementing agency, is providing support to the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology, Solomon Islands Government, rolling out the Safeguarding Solomon Islands endemic and globally threatened biodiversity and ecosystem services from key threats, particularly invasive alien species , and unsustainable land management practices(SAFE Project) ,Project Planning Grant Initiation. The objective of the GEF PPG is to develop the project concept into a full project: Safeguarding Solomon Islands endemic and globally threatened biodiversity and ecosystem services from key threats, particularly invasive alien species and unsustainable land use practices (SAFE project), and is aiming to safeguard Solomon Islands indigenous species and ecosystems from invasive alien species, land degradation, unsustainable resource use and climate-induced risks through effective government enabling and capacity, community participation and resilient blue/green livelihoods. The services of a national consultant are required to cover the blue green economy and livelihood aspect of the project document development/PPG process.
The National Blue/Green Economy and Livelihoods Consultant will lead the technical information gathering on blue-green economic development and livelihoods opportunities and prepare relevant technical documents and project Annexes for completion of the Project Document ensuring adherence of project development to UNDP’s SESP and specific requirements, as appropriate. The consultant will be a socio-economic or community livelihoods expert with hands-on experience of working with communities. The consultant will prepare a detailed work plan to be signed-off by the PPG Team leader.
Under the overall coordination of the PPG Team Leader and working with other team members, the consultant will participate in and support the entire PPG process, information gathering, field visits, project development and the preparation of the ProDoc/GEF CEO Endorsement Request package.
Title: National Consultant – National Blue Green Economy and Livelihoods Consultant
Contract Type: Individual Contractor
Contract Duration: 40 Working Days from February to December 2021
Location: Honiara
For full terms of references for this position you can find on https://procurement-notices.undp.org/, reference number 75187. Or please contact Procurement Unit on tel: 27446 or call into the United Nations Joint Presence Office, Ground Floor ANZ Building Ranadi, Kukum Highway, Honiara.
Applications must include a cover letter, current Curriculum Vitae with full recent contact details of three referees, confirmation of interest and availability form, technical proposal and a signed UNDP P-11 form.
All applications to be submitted by close of business, Tuesday 23rd February 2021 at 5:00 pm, Honiara time, either electronically to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or addressed under confidential cover as follows:
National Blue Green Economy and Livelihoods Consultant
UN Joint Presence Office
Ground Floor, ANZ Haus Ranadi, Kukum Highway
PO Box 1954, Honaira, Solomon Islands
Incomplete applications will not be considered and only candidates for whom there is further interest will be contacted. Additional information including the Post Profile, Confirmation of Interest and availability form and P-11 form is available from the UNDP website: pacific.undp.org/content/pacific/en/home/jobs.html or the UN Joint Presence Office, Ground Floor, ANZ Haus Ranadi, Kukum Highway, Honiara.
For further information concerning this Terms of Reference, contact Joanne Aihunu on email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / telephone +677 27446 Ext 5524:
- Details
- Category: Environment & Conservation
Minister Mua Panakitasi makes a familiarization visit
The new Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology Honorable Dickson Mua Panakatasi has on Friday 9th October embarked on a familiarization visit to Gold Ridge Mining Limited and Win Win Investment Company both located in Central Guadalcanal.
The visit to the two sites was to introduce the Minister to the kind of work the Ministry is engaged with stakeholders and partners in mining through the Environment and Conservation Division (ECD).
While Introducing the team from the Ministry, Permanent Secretary Dr Melchior Mataki thanked members of the GRML Board of Directors both local and international for accepting the Ministry’s request to have the recently appointed Minister to take this important tour to help familiarize himself with the work of the Ministry with some stakeholders in the mining sector and also to hear the progress GRML under its new owners has made since taking over the mine.
Minister Mua thanked the GRML Board for allowing the visit to take place. He said as the new Minister it is good to have a clearer understanding of their operation and familiarize himself with stakeholders that the Ministry works with especially under the Environment Act.
“From this visit I’m sure I will have a fair idea of the progress you have made and how the mining is going to be done here which will enable me to update cabinet and caucus should questions arise” Minister Mua said
The Ministers remarks was followed by a very comprehensive presentation by senior executives of the company who joined in virtually via zoom from abroad. Their presentation focused mainly on how GRML will be carrying out its mining operation. This was followed by a tour of the GRML plant.
Further down the GRML mining site, the Minister and his team also visited Win Win Investment limited a small alluvial mining establishment that started in 2016.
Speaking to the team, local company director Charles Fox Meke said what they have is just another form of mining similar to hand panning with the use of a few machineries to extract gold from the riverbed.
“The main difference from what you visited this morning at GRML is we only use water to separate the gold from the sand that we extract from the river” he said. The visit concluded with the team being shown how gold is separated from sand and soil using very simple shaking- table technology.
GRML and Win Win investment are both located in Central Guadalcanal and have a good working relationship with each other. The two companies are sharing resources to upgrade the road that leads to the two mine sites.
The ministry through ECD will continue to monitor both mining operations and others throughout the country for compliance to the Environment Act.
Ends//
- Details
- Category: Environment & Conservation
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News
The New Solomon Islands Waste Management and Pollution Control Strategy 2017-2026 was formally endorsed by Cabinet in November 2017. It is yet to be officially launched, however, the Ministry is happy to share the e-copy of the strategy can be accessed from this Ministry's website and Solomon Islands Environment data portal (https://solomonislands-data.sprep.org).
The Ministry sincerely acknowledges all the relevant stakeholders coming from the Line Ministries, NGOs, Private Sectors and Academic Institution for the viable contributions during the review and validation workshop in November 2015 and September 2016. The successful outcome of the strategy is a result of the hardwork and contributions of everyone.
Source: ECD communications