AMBON, KOMPAS – Damages to protected forests caused by illegal mining in a number of regions have become more widespread. The damage is not only in the form of environmental disintegration but also terrible pollution due to the use of cyanide and mercury.
Illegal gold mining in some areas of Maluku has damaged the environment and caused food security in the areas to be under threat. However, there have been no signs of seriousness by the regional administration in dealing with the effects of illegal mining. In fact, the authorities have yet to shut down operations at some of the mining locations.
The illegal gold mining spots are mostly located on Buru Island, more specifically in places in Buru regency, such as Mount Botak, Mount Nona and Googrea. Furthermore, there is also the sinabar stone quarry in Luhu-lha, Seram island, West Seram regency. Mount Botak and Gogorea have been closed, while Mount Nona and Lulu-lha are still in operation.
Buru Island Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Leo Simatupang on Wednesday (22/3) said the mining activities at Mount Botak could only be shut down last week. As many as 2,000 miners have left Mount Botak. As a result of the mining, the 500 meter-high hill has split into two and formed a gorge.
The depth of the gorge is almost 300 meters from the top of the hill. The soil material from the hill is taken to the slope of the mountain and is processed into gold, using mercury and cyanide. Sago forests are used for raw material processing. As a result, the sago becomes damaged.
Processing is also done at riversides, such as in Dafa village, Waelata district. It is the closest location to Mount Botak. The river water there is turbid, which is a shame because the river irrigates the locals’ paddy.
Having closed down in November 2015, the river in Dafa village and the sago forest have not been cleaned. Instead, the Maluku provincial administration has engaged in cooperation with PT Buana Pratama Sejahtera to dredge sediments at other spots that are not directly connected to the river. The raw material will be processed and turned into gold.
The provincial administration has not improved the environment at Mount Botak, which is around 500 hectares. Only Commander of Military Region XVI/Pattimura carried out tree plantings around Mount Botak in mid-2016.
Meanwhile, at Mount Nona, mining is still being carried out in the Wai Pamali River Basin Area. Mining waste mud seeped into an irrigation channel in Grandeng village, Lolongguba district. As many as 326 hectares of paddy have been affected. The irrigation uses water containing mud.
Waeapo subdistrict military command commander Lettu Husain Malagapi, contacted separately, said mining in Mount Nona threatens food security in the area. It is feared that dangerous substances, such as mercury, may pollute the people’s paddy.
Not yet closed
Illegal gold mining is also rampant in Poboya subdistrict, Mantikulore district, Palu city, Central Sulawesi. That area has yet to be closed. This is a concern given the dangers of the use of mercury on the environment, especially on human health. Research has revealed that locals have been exposed to mercury.
Research by Bali Fokus, an environmental non-government organization, revealed last year that based on the hair samples of locals in illegal gold mining (PETI) areas , including in Poboya, the mercury exposure level was between 0.82 per part million (ppm) and 13.3 ppm. The exposure is well beyond the health standard of 0.58 ppm (Kompas, 11/3).
The operation at Poboya PETI started in 2019. At the moment, the size of the penetrated land has reached 50 hectares. Based on Kompas observations on Wednesday (22/3), at the gold processing site, there were drums that used mercury. There were at least 20 drums in operation.
The pile of raw material, which is believed to contain gold and carried in 20 kilograms sacks, is placed around the drum machine. Trucks come in and out to transport water-filled tanks for the gold processing in the drums. There were also quite a few trucks and pickup vehicles that carry raw materials believed to contain gold.
Increasingly widespread
The environmental damage in Central Kalimantan is also becoming more widespread. Other than forests that have been cut clean, the water basin area has also become a main target for illegal miners.
The Kapuas water basin area (DAS) from Mantangai district to Timpah district, Kapuas regency, Central Kalimantan, has been severely damaged because of illegal mining. At the Murui and Mentaring rivers, two of Kapuas river’s confluents, two excavators have been confiscated by officials.
Furthermore, Like DAS Kapuas, DAS Kahayan is also frightening. Hundreds of kato or traditional sand vacuum tools line up at every 100 meters to the right and to the left of Rungan River, the confluent of Kahayan in Mungku Baru subdistrict, Palangkaraya. The river is not only turbid but also foamy.
“The miners are not from here. People here don’t mine anymore because they have switched to farming. Miners from outside move after finishing their mining activities, they don’t stay permanently,” said Jhon Arei, 51, a resident of Mungku Baru subdistrict, Palangkaraya, on Wednesday.
Generally, the miners use mercury and cyanide. Central Kalimantan Environment Agency head Mursid Marsono said the materials were obtained from gold collectors or buyers.
The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s director general of minerals and coal, Bambang Gatot Ariyono, said on Wednesday at the ministry that the policing of illegal mines in the regions was fully the authority of their respective administrations. “The central government only carries out supervision and evaluation.”
Out of 9,433 mining permits (IUP) in Indonesia, 3,202 have yet to obtain clear and clean (CNC) status. Of those non-CNC permits, 1,674 are overlapped with conserved areas and protected forests. Some permit holders that do not improve their status to CNC soon may have their permits revoked.
(FRN/VDL/IDO/APO)
