Barges carry coal cross the Mahakam River in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, on Wednesday (21/11/2018). The transport of coal using the Mahakam River, which is conducted almost every day, has had a damaging impact on the river, effecting the Mahakam dolphin’s habitat.
Under the sun’s scorching heat on Sunday (18/11/2018), Juwar, 29, began planting rice in Makroman subdistrict, Sambutan district, Samarinda, East Kalimantan. Soon, the roar of heavy equipment surrounded him.
Juwar was working in the paddy fields of Baharuddin, 57, who chairs the Tunas Muda farmers’ group in Makroman. Baharuddin has three hectares of rice fields and seven ha of chili pepper gardens in the subdistrict. “The excavators’ roar is annoying and the mines have disrupted our lives,” Baharuddin said.
In Makroman, coal mines surround agricultural lands just 200 meters away from people’s homes and rice fields. Mining waste carried away by water from the rain flows into the fields and fish ponds, killing rice paddies and fish.
A piece of heavy equipment stood menacingly on top of a muddy hill right in front of Baharuddin’s house. The coal mine closely borders locals’ rice fields and farmlands. Rocks from the hill have slid onto the agricultural land numerous times. Apart from polluting the fields and farmlands, the mine has more serious impacts. “Because of the mine, our harvest yield has decreased,” Baharuddin said.
When he first grew rice in 2000, Baharuddin could obtain six tons of dried paddy per ha on average in a harvest season. However, since the coal mine was opened in 2008, Baharuddin could only get two to four tons per ha.
Polluted
According to Baharuddin, when the mining companies’ heavy equipment dig into the coal-rich hill, water from the rain mixes with coal waste and flows into irrigation culverts and then into the paddy fields, thereby destroying any hope the farmers’ have for a good harvest.
In only a week, Baharuddin continued, the paddies irrigated by coal-polluted water wither and die. In the next planting season, productivity is halved.
The environmental destruction does not stop there. Other sources of income, including fish ponds, are also affected. “The fish are exposed to water from the mine and die. All my fish died,” Baharuddin said, upset.
Makroman residents have also lost their clean water sources, as many have been polluted by the mine. In the dry season, rice fields and farmlands do not get enough water and dry up.
Land shrinkage
Outside Makroman, coal mining has also destroyed farmers’ lives in Mulawarman village, Tenggarong Seberang district, Kutai Kartanegara. Coal mining companies take over locals’ agricultural lands and sources of livelihood.
Mulawarman village head Mulyono said that the village had lost 600 ha of rice fields since mining companies set up business there in 2003. “It used to be so green and serene here, with lots of rice fields and clean water, making it good for agriculture. Now, rice fields have gone and are replaced with coal mines,” Mulyono said.
According to him, of the village’s 1,000 ha, some 70 percent have been turned into coal mines. Only 60 to 70 ha of rice fields are still in pristine condition. “We are surrounded by mines. To the north, south, east and west, there are mines,” he said.
Mulawarman’s Karang Taruna youth organization head Heri Purnomo said a majority of the villagers used to work as farmers. After the coal mines were opened, many of the rice fields were destroyed, leading farmers to sell their lands to the mining companies and work in other people’s fields.
Nowadays, many locals wish to be relocated. “All of us think that it’s impossible for us to get a decent life here,” Heri said.
Agricultural land shrinkage is occurring in nearly all of East Kalimantan, following the haphazard issuance of mining permits by regional heads from 2002 to 2012. Many mining concession holders take over agricultural lands and force local farmers off their own land.
East Kalimantan food, crops and horticulture agency head Ibrahim said that agricultural lands in East Kalimantan continued to shrink because of the opening of oil palm plantations and coal mines. “In the end, small-time farmers are always on the losing side,” he said.
The agency’s data shows that the province had 94,410 ha of rice fields in 2017, a 20.21 percent decrease of the 118,324 ha in 2016.
Because of the land shrinkage, East Kalimantan continuously sees dwindling rice production. The province produced 276,188 tons of rice in 2013, 256,919 tons in 2015 and 224,173 tons in 2017.
Because of this shrinking production, the province had a rice shortage of 90,000 tons in 2017. “We have to get rice from South Sulawesi,” Ibrahim said.
Environment activist Kahar Al Bahri said that haphazard issuance of mining permits in East Kalimantan had led to not only social problems but also the loss of people’s living space. Many in the province now live in fear of environmental disasters such as floods and landslides. “East Kalimantan is a reflection of the adverse impacts of massive-scale mining,” Kahar said.
