Newmont's mineral waste damages coral reef in Buyat Bay

Coral reef stretching along the Buyat Bay, North Sulawesi has been severely damaged by tons of the mineral wastes dumped by PT Newmont Minahasa Raya into the bay.

According to findings made by the local branch of the Walhi environmental group, the coral reef, known for its beauty had been mostly covered and damaged by the United States-based gold, mining company's mineral tailings dumped into the sea.

Longena Ginting, the head of the mining advisory of the environmental group, said that the undersea current had also carried tons of the mineral waste dumped into the sea, causing environmental problem to other sea areas.

"Coral reef, fish and many others have become the victims of the company's mineral waste," he added, adding that the company's underwater dumping site, which receives hundreds of cubic meters of mineral waste from Newmont's gold processing plant a day should be closed to protect the environment.

Newmont, which operates a massive gold mining operation in Minahasa regency, North Sulawesi, dumps its mineral waste in the bay under the so-called undersea dumping site technology. But the operation of the dumping site, claimed by the company as using the safest technology, has been widely criticized. (*)