Eight coalminers in S. Kalimantan accused of neglecting environment preservation

Eight coalminers in South Kalimantan have been accused of ignoring their obligations to properly manage the environment in their mining sites according to existing laws and regulations, local daily Banjarmasin Post reported Monday.

The companies, all operating in Banjar Regency in South Kalimantan, were PT Antang Gunung Meratus, PT Kadya Caraka Mulia, PT Nusantara Citra Jaya Abadi, PD Baramarta, PT Tanjung Alam Jaya, PT Sumber Kurnia Buana, PT Baramulti Suksessarana and PT Bangun Banua.

A fact-finding team formed by the local government had found that none of the eight the coalminers had submitted to the local authorities their annual programs of environment management, the paper said.

The team said that the companies had taken no concrete measures to preserve the environment in their areas of operation as mentioned in their Analysis Concerning Environmental Impact (Amdal). The measures include reclamation of land in their mining sites.

Banjar regent Rudy Ariffin had submitted a document prepared by the fact-finding team to Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro, the paper said. (*)