Newmont's undersea dumping ground needs close monitoring

The impact of tailings or mineral waste dumped by PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (NNT) in Senunu gulf, West Nusa Tenggara should be seriously monitored although a recent study shows that the waste in the short term would not pose a serious impact, an environmental watchdog has said.

M. Helmy, the chairman of the Mataram-based center for the monitoring of environmental impact (Pusarpedal) said last week that the mineral waste dumped into the sea could pose a serious problem to the ecosystem in the long-term period.

"The recent survey only shows an early indication, not final. It is also not representatives because it was carried out one time," he said in his comments on the result of a survey jointly made by PT Newmont and Laut Biru Foundation.

According to the survey, the impact of the mineral waste will not pose a serious problem to the environment.

Newmont, which operates gold mining area in Batu Hijau on the Sumbawa Island, dumps about 110,000 tons of mineral waste or tailings into the local sea per day, according to the government's environmental impact monitoring agency (Bappedal).

About 70 percent of the tailings dumped through a pipeline at a distance of about 3000 meters from the shore are in the form of liquid mineral waste and the other 30 percent are in the solid form. At the transmitting time of about 2,000 to 6,000 tons per hour, the waste would be accumulated at the sea level with the depth of between 3,000 and 3,400 kilometers and with spreading area of about 200 kilometers. (*)