Newmont asked to mend dumping site within six months
Tuesday, August 1 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
The government-sanctioned agency for the supervision of environmental impacts (Bapedal) has asked PT Newmont Minahasa Raya in North Sulawesi to improve the technical aspect of its marine dumping site in the Buya Bay within six months in order to prevent pollution.
The agency's deputy, Masnelyarti said in Jakarta on Monday that the United States-based gold mine operator should also carry out an evaluation on the environmental risk and the toxic level to ensure that the dumping site would not pollute the environment, Republika reported on Tuesday
"If the evaluation indicates that the dumping site still cause pollution, we will ask the company to relocate the dumping site into other location," the agency's deputy, Masnelyarti said in an environmental workshop.
He denied that the agency had yet to issue an environmental impact analyst (Amdal) to the company. "What we had issued was a provisional permit to allow the company to carry a trial test for its marine dumping site," he said, He added that since the provisional permit was issued, the company had never reported about the results of the tests.
The company's marine dumping site, which receives tons of tailings, mineral waste, from the company's gold mine in the Minahasa regency has caused a wide spread controversy. Local people and environmental activists have demanded the company to close the dumping site. According to them, the dumping site had caused a heavy pollution and, it is feared, in long term it will not only destroy the marine species but also causes a health problem to the local people.
The company denied the charge and said that based on the previous study, the dumping is safe.
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 mine in the province, also uses a marine dumping site for its mineral waste.
The locals have asked Newmont Nusa Tenggara to seek another alternative for its tailings because the current dumping site is feared to also cause a serious environmental problem.
Tempo Interaktif reported on Tuesday that the company, the provincial office of Bapedal and the Biru Laut Foundation are jointly evaluating the dumping site. The surveyors from the three institutions have taken samples from the dumping site for further tests.
The result of the survey will determine whether or not the company will maintain its marine dumping site operation in the area. (*)