Donathus Pinaunge, is one of a special miner that operates an excavator at the Water-mining (Hydro Mining) Department at Kurumbukari (KBK) mine site in Usino Bundi District, Madang Province.
An East Sepik of origin, Pinaunge worked with Ramu NiCo Management (MCC) Limited (RNML) for 6 years at KBK’s hydro-solution point, where he transfers the rocks that is offloaded by the Volvo ADT operators to be sprayed on by huge water cannons.
Pinaunge was a young graduate with no work experience when he first joined RNML in 2018 and now he is a skillful excavator operator.
He said the courses he studied in Lae (Morobe Provinces) Excavator School had helped him to pass all the safety and operator tests.
“I have learnt a lot of new technologies while working with the Hydro Mining Department and that lead me gaining an award from RNML in 2020 for the best performing employee at the department and for meeting production targets,” the operator said.
He said water mining does not require a lot of workers. It takes a single excavator operator and a water-gun holder who flush the mineral from the rocks into a slurry form from the pit and later gets pumped to the beneficiation plant at the mine. It is a rare technology that reduces a lot of manpower at work.
RNML, the operator of the Ramu Nickel and Cobalt Project uses two mining technologies at Kurumbukari Mine: the open cut mine and hydro-mine.
Open cut mine or conventional mining systems are common to most of the mines throughout PNG. However, hydro-mine, also referred to as hydro-solutions or as water mining, is known for application of water-gun that flushes the nickel and cobalt ore in slurry form.
The slurry is later collected and pumped to the beneficiation plant where chromite is later separated, and pure slurry is stored and pumped to the refinery at Basamuk in Rai-Coast District.
Water mining involves just two men, the excavator Operator and the Water Gun-men, to do the mining
Excavator Operator Donathus Pinaunge, pointing to the water-mine site
Excavator Operator Donathus Pinaunge with his Hydro-solutions department superintendent, Mr Jia.