Illegal gold mining causes mercury pollution in N Sulawesi

Many rivers in North Sulawesi might have been heavily contaminated by mercury due to rampant illegal gold mining activities in the province, and the lack of the government's control over their operations, according to local newspaper Manado Pos.

The newspaper said that the illegal gold mining activities particularly in Minahasa and Bitung regencies have been mushrooming in recent months as the local government failed to curb their operations.

Local environmental experts believed that the mercury, a toxic chemical substance used by miners in processing of the gold metal, had contaminated most of the rivers in the two regencies. The use of semi-mechanical equipment, or Tromol as the local residents called them, in the processing of the gold ores might speed up the process of the mercury contamination in the rivers.

According to the newspaper's reports, the mercury contamination had also threatened the local sea particularly the Batuputih sea, the main fishing area of the local residents.

Meanwhile the newspaper reported that the use of tromols in Minahasa regency has been more worrying because most of the illegal gold miners in the regency operated the equipment in the rivers used by the local residents for their daily needs such as for drinking.

The local Tromols operators however denied the charge saying that the accusation lacked a proof. "The mercury contamination charge should be backed by an independent survey. In order to find the truth, please carry out a survey, not just speaking through newspapers," Edwin Siwi, one of the Tromol operators, told the Manado Pos.

Edwin, and other Tremor operators in Minahasa were invited to join a meeting with local environment experts last week. But the experts failed to show up in the gathering organized by the local administration. (*)