Bapedal questions Newmont over environmental issue

The Denpasar office of the Environmental Impact Supervisory Agency or Bapedal has sent a letter to gold and copper mining firm PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (NNT) questioning the management of the company's toxic waste products.

Head of the West Nusa Tenggara provincial office of the Bapedalda environmental watchdog Sachrul Ismail was quoted as saying by the Bali Post daily that NNT had not made a compulsory report of its toxic waste management to Bapedal.

Sachrul said that the Sumbawa-based gold and copper operation should have made the report every three months since its trial operation in December 1999 until its official opening today.

"We have asked for the report several times but there was no response from the company. We have been waiting for a year," he said, adding that the report was crucial because the company's tailing waste product would be disposed to the local Sanunu Bay. (*)