Kua calls for investigation into Earthquakes

The government has been urged to investigate the cause of the recent earthquake that caused destruction and loss of lives in the Highlands provinces of the country.

Sinasina Yongomugl MP Kerenga Kua said during grievance debate in Parliament that the people wanted answers whether the earthquake was natural or induced by exploration of oil and gas in the area.

“The series of the earthquake is of an unprecedented type both in its intensity and in its frequency, it is unprecedented usually you have a one-off earthquake of a certain magnitude and its over, but this one is almost like continuous, it hits off at a very high level and it maintains a high level for many days and even weeks and that is something completely unprecedented and somehow it coincides with the major projects, the gas extraction projects we have on-going in the country,” Mr Kua said

“Within the period of two years of the commencement of the gas project, big earthquake happens, it hits precisely the area where the projects are located, so it raises an obvious question in our minds. Is it mere coincidence an occurence by an act of nature or is there some connectivity to the human activities that is taking place in those localities? It is important for us to know, it is important also for our people to know what the answers are.

“For example if we find that it is induced by human activities then that knowledge alone will help us mitigate future incidence of that nature, and to take evasive action and that is within our powers to do that and if we did not know or if we refuse to know the answer than we will be inviting future further incidence of similar devastating magnitudes, more dense, more injuries, more damage to property and the environment and we will continue to come back to pull our hairs out trying to understand, find answers to do relief and do restoration.”  Post Courier/PacNews/PNG Today