by Ronald Toito’ona

Landowners of Lata airfield on Santa Cruz in Temotu Province have accused the construction firm engaged to upgrade the facility of labour rights violations, environmental pollution and unfair compensation.

They alleged that China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), the Chinese-owned construction firm engaged to upgrade the SBD$117 million airfield, along with the Ministry of Communication and Aviation (MCA), inflicted massive environmental damages, involved in labour law violations and unfair compensation for resource owners.

The World Bank-funded Lata Airport Upgrade project is being managed under the Solomon Islands Roads and Aviation Project 2 (SIRAP2). MCA played the oversight role.

Environmental Impact

Landowner spokesman Allan Omar claimed construction activities have severely impacted marine life, particularly through excavation and reclamation works, leading to pollution of coastal waters. 

Photographic and video evidence Omar and his group provided show dead bech-de-mers, fish, and other marine life washed ashore. They claimed these were directly related to the airfield construction works.

“The sea here is ruined,” Omar, a former provincial member, told In-depth Solomons.

“Bech-de-mers, sea shells, fish, and other marine resources were affected,” he added.

“I have all the videos and pictures of this sad situation.” 

But CHEC and MCA denied the accusations.

MCA Permanent Secretary Alwyn Danitofea insisted that the project follows strict environmental protocols in accordance with World Bank requirements.

“All projects under SIRAP follow strict environmental and legal guidelines,” Danitofea said.

“Before any development begins, we apply for approvals from the Ministry of Environment,” he added.

“In the current project, we were required to submit an Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP), which was approved by the World Bank on 17 October 2024.”

Danitofea denied receiving any complaints from landowners. 

However, Omar told In-depth Solomons they have sent a report with photos and videos about their claim to both MCA and CHEC. 

CHEC has maintained that their operations comply with the ESMP and denied any environmental damage. 

“All activities have been closely supervised by engineers, ensuring that no environmental pollution, including marine pollution, has occurred,” CHEC said in a statement.

“Monitoring results confirm that there has been no adverse impact on marine resources,” the company added. 

However, Omar and his community members argue that the project’s self-reporting mechanism is unreliable, as reports submitted to SIRAP were believed to have been manipulated to conceal the realities on the ground. 

Manipulation of Project Progress Reports 

One concerning accusation is that project progress reports submitted to the Project Support Team (PST) of SIRAP2 were edited by a CHEC staff member to hide issues related to environmental damage. 

“Project reports were altered before being submitted to the PST to give the impression they meet World Bank requirements, while the actual conditions on the ground were different,” Omar claimed. 

“We believe this is why many issues raised against the company were not taken up by the PST or the MCA,” he said.

Richard Farrell, the International Project Manager for SIRAP2, told In-depth Solomons that reporting on the project follows a structured process. 

“The contractor is contractually required to submit monthly reports, which are reviewed by the supervising consultant, E-gis, before they are passed to MCA,” Farrell explained.

“These reports do not go to the World Bank. Instead, the project team submits quarterly progress reports to the World Bank, covering various sections such as safeguards, procurement, finance, and project management,” he added. 

“Additionally, the World Bank requires a semi-annual safeguards report, submitted twice a year. 

“Although not mandatory, monthly reports are also shared with the World Bank as part of transparency efforts.”

Farrell said that project oversight is handled by the consultant firm E-gis, and there is no room for manipulation. 

“Monthly reports are submitted by the contractor and reviewed by E-gis before being shared with the MCA. 

“The World Bank does not receive reports directly from the contractor.”

On their part, CHEC said all their reports submitted to engineers were based on accurate and factual on-site records, with no misrepresentation of the actual conditions.

But Omar insisted that the lack of independent verification mechanisms has allowed the contractor to continue its operations unchecked. 

Disputes Over Quarry Operations and Resource Pricing

One of the contentious issues involved the extraction of black sand and gravel, which landowners claimed was taking place without proper permits and at unfairly low compensation rates. 

They argued they were being exploited through unfair pricing. 

“CHEC initially stated that local quarry materials would be purchased at SBD$9 per cubic meter,” Omar said.

“However, their trucks have 15-ton capacity, meaning the total payment per load is only SBD135.00. 

“Given the high cost of living this amount barely covers our necessities,” he added.

“CHEC is dictating the prices. They do not negotiate, and the Ministry of Communication and Aviation (MCA) has done nothing to intervene.” 

CHEC, however, refuted these claims, insisting that prices were agreed upon through transparent negotiations and that environmental and access fees were duly paid.

According to Mr Omar, the Temotu Province Government was informed of the concerns raised, but they have not acted.

In-depth Solomons is aware that the project team has just briefed the provincial government.

The Temotu Provincial Secretary, Casper Tuplo was then contacted to confirm if they are aware of the concerns raised by the land and resource owners, but he has not responded.

Latest reports from the Civil Aviation say the Lata airfield upgrade is now 43 per cent complete, and that the first phase of activities is scheduled to be completed by mid this month.

The Lata airfield is Temotu’s main aviation facility. Its runway is 1,310 metres long.

Officials from Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Lands visited the project site last week and conducted a land survey at the western end of the airfield to confirm boundary alignments.

“Once completed, a memorandum of understanding will be signed with landowners to facilitate the planned airfield extension,” Aviation said.