Illegal mining activities damage South Kalimantan?s Barito River

Activities of hundreds of illegal miners along the Barito River in South Kalimantan do not only disturb transportation activities but also could seriously damage the river bank and the river basin, Kompas reported on Tuesday.

Director of the Executive Center for Regional Development Studies (CRDS) in South Kalimantan, Setia Budhi, said on Monday that the illegal miners mostly hunted for gold and sand in downstream and upstream of the river.

He said that the illegal miners? activities had resulted in the accumulation of sediment which not only blocked the water flow but also disturbed the traffic of boats in the river, the main transportation alternative in the province.

According to Setia Budhi, illegal coal mining activities in locations near the river had also contributed to the accumulation of the sediment in the water. Hundreds of coal trucks from illegal mining sites also damaged the environment because the dirt and mud from the road went all into the water, particularly when it was raining. (*)