Josua Tauleka - Land Owner

Landowners in the Vanua of Nabukebuke are demanding accountability after more than 50 years of environmental damage caused by mineral exploration on their land.

At a recent meeting between the Namosi landowners and Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo, Joe Tauleka, former Chair of the Nabukebuke Land Development Committee, said drilling began in the 1970s and has left a lasting impact.

He revealed that over 100 drilling sites and 500 drill angles were established across their ancestral land, raising concerns about chemical contamination and long-term environmental harm.

“These chemicals, used in the drilling process, have not been properly contained. When they spill, they flow directly into the Waidina River, which supplies drinking water to Suva.”

Tauleka explained that the problem dates back to the earliest days of exploration, beginning with Anglo American in 1970 and continuing through a succession of companies.

He said that the lack of government action forced the Vanua to form its own monitoring committee in 2010, but the scale of the problem remains overwhelming.

“Despite repeated incidents, including a major chemical spill into the Waivaka River, there has been little accountability. The devastation has become part of daily life for our people,We are not just fighting for ourselves, but for the future generations who will inherit this land and these rivers,”

Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo says there is a mandatory need for shift on how the government approached the issue on Special Prospecting License.

“This opportunity provides me the time to come and listen to the landowners and you know, it’s not so much what had happened since the present coalition government has come into play, because it was only the SPL that expired in 2023, their complains go far much back than that.”

The Mining proposal in Namosi began with Anglo American in 1970, followed by MX, Placer, Nittetsu, and then the Namosi Joint Venture.

The first Special Prospecting License was issued in 2001 and in 2025 there is still a proposal to renew the license for NJV to continue for the next three years.

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