Government to standardize reclamation program

The government will soon issue a regulation on the standardization of reclamation works in former mining sites to ensure that the reclamation is carried out under sustainable development concept, Investor Daily reported on Tuesday.

Mister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said in Jakarta on Monday that the regulation would stipulate a guideline on how a mining company should carry out a reclamation program on its former mining site so that the reclamation works will benefit not only the people around the mining site but also all the stakeholders.

"The reclamation will become mandatory for all mining companies to ensure that all the mining activities in the country are carried out under sustainable development concept," the minister was quoted as saying.

The minister acknowledges that a reclamation program will require a lot of money. But, he said, such reclamation work could not be avoided to ensure that a mining activity will not only bring benefit to its investor but also all the stakeholders including the people living around the mining site.

In a bid to minimize the high reclamation cost, the minister called on mining companies to include their environmental costs as part of their day-to-day operation costs so that such high cost will not bring any liquidity problem.

If the reclamation is carried properly, the mining sector will no longer become "an enemy of the environment", the minister added. (*)