N Sulawesi waits new team to audit Newmont dumping site
Friday, August 18 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
North Sulawesi administration is waiting for the establishment of an independent team to audit the environmental impact of PT Newmont Minahasa Raya's marine dumping site in the Buyat Bay in the Minahasa regency.
"North Sulawesi administration is still waiting for truly independent team to carry out the audit job," the local government's spokesman David A. Bobihoe told Tempo Interaktif on Wednesday. He said that his office had recommended several names comprising marine experts, representatives of non-governmental organizations, legislators and representatives of local government to be included in the team.
He said that the new team would be the third team to assess and audit the impact of the gold mine operator's dumping site in the bay. The findings of the previous two teams could not be used because their works were financed by Newmont.
Separately, S.A. Kindangen, the head of the government-sanctioned agency for the supervision on the environmental impact (Bapedal) in the province, said that the establishment of the independent team by the ministry of mines and energy might be cancelled. He said that the office of the state minister for environmental affairs might take over the job in line with the change in the system in the survey. He said that the team would include senior officials from the ministry of environmental affairs, the ministry of mines and energy, local government and non-governmental organizations.
Newmont Minahasa, one of the Indonesian units of the United States-based Newmont Corporation, dumps every day at least 2,000 tons of tailings, mineral waste, through a 1,020-kilometer pipeline from its mine site into the Buyat Bay.
The tailings were dumped at the depth of over 82 meters at the sea bottom to minimize the impact on the environment. The company also uses a modern technology to reduce the toxic substance from the tailings.
The company's marine dumping site has caused a wide spread controversy. Local people and environmental activists have demanded the company to close the dumping site.
Newmont's subsidiary in West Nusatenggara (NTB) province is also under pressure from the local community and environmental activists. PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara, which operates a massive gold and copper mine in the province, also uses a marine dumping site for its mineral waste. (*)