A United Nations assessment team has said that work to lower the water level in a tailings dam at Gold Ridge gold mine in the Solomon Islands needs to begin immediately to help combat the threat of a breach.
An assessment was carried out at after flash flooding last month left a high level of contaminated water behind the dam. If any more water enters, it is likely to become unstable, a spokesman for the UN has said.
The team said that while the dam is currently stable, it needs to be monitored closely with the water level lowered gradually to avoid overspill or dam failure. It is expected to take between 160-190 days to lower the water to a recommended level.
