Villagers demand closure of Gunung Bayan Pratama for polluting river
Friday, April 27 2001 - 04:30 AM WIB
The people from eight villages in West Kutai district, East Kalimantan, have demanded the closure of coal mining company PT Gunung Bayan Pratama (GBPC) for polluting the Sungai Muara Ohong river, according to the local Kaltim Post daily.
The paper reported on Friday that GBPC had polluted the river for quite a long time and the condition of the river had worsened particularly during the past 6 months, causing the villagers to be unable to consume the water from the river or use it for other daily activities.
The paper added that the fishes in the river had also died because of the heavy pollution, threatening the livelihood of some of the local fishermen.
Meanwhile, several local non-governmental organizations demanded the local authority and councilors to follow up the demand of the villagers
Gunung Bayan Pratama produced 1.35 million tons of coal in 2000.(*)