[ppi] [ppiindia] Pollution in Buyat: Damaging the Environment and its People

** Mailing List|Milis Nasional Indonesia PPI-India **


Buyat Bay, Indonesia


In 2004, the Newmont Minahasa Raya (NMR) gold mine began closing down its 
operations in North Sulawesi leaving local communities in Buyat Bay and 
Ratatatok with a dubious legacy: long-lasting environmental damage, economic 
decline, and a host of health problems. Affected communities have appealed to 
NMR, a subsidiary of Denver-based Newmont Mining Corporation (94 percent 
ownership of NMR), and the Indonesian government to address their concerns. 


Villagers are reporting skin diseases which are believed to be the result of 
pollution from the mine.  Credit: JATAMNMR was the first mine in Indonesia to 
use a submarine tailings disposal (STD) system, a method of waste disposal that 
has been banned in many countries due to its harmful environmental and health 
impacts. NMR pipes its mining waste approximately ten kilometers from the 
open-pit and discharges it into Buyat Bay at a depth of 82 meters. Since it 
opened in 1996, the mine has dumped more than 4 million tons of mine waste into 
the bay.



Coastal dumping of mine waste has destroyed local fisheries in Buyat Bay.  
Credit: JATAM
Coastal dumping of tailings is a grave ecological concern because coastal 
waters are biologically the richest parts of the oceans, and because many 
open-ocean species depend on coastal habitat for part of their life cycle. It 
is also a hazard to public health. In addition to facing severe coastal 
pollution and the destruction of local fisheries, villagers living around Buyat 
Bay have reported skin rashes and sores on their bodies, severe headaches, 
tumors and reproductive health problems.  

Tailings pipes are notorious for breaking and leaking tailings, both on land 
and in the sea. NMR's tailing pipe has broken multiple times, leaking waste 
into waters as shallow as ten meters deep and seriously impacting coral reefs 
and marine life. A 2003 report by the Indonesian Forum for the Environment 
(WALHI) found that NMR's tailings contain four times the government-allowed 
level of cyanide and high levels of mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. A team of 
researchers led by Dr. Ir. Rizal Max Rompas, toxicologist at Sam Ratulangi 
University, North Sulawesi also found similar results in 1999; the amount of 
toxic compounds in the area exceeded the legal threshold. But the report's 
recommendation that the tailings disposal system be evaluated and redesigned 
was ignored by both NMR and the Indonesian government. 


Buyat Bay communities are demanding that Newmont clean up its mess.  Credit: 
JATAMDespite facing intimidation, the affected communities of Buyat Bay and 
Ratatatok have been pressuring NMR and the Indonesian government to take 
seriously the mine's closure and ensure that the health and livelihood of local 
villagers is restored. Their demands include full clean-up and reclamation, 
free health care, and fair compensation for lost lands and livelihoods. 

Another Newmont-operated mine, Batu Hijau, located on the remote island of 
Sumbawa in the south central portion of the Indonesian archipelago, is dumping 
120,000 tons of tailings per day into Senunu Bay. Batu Hijau is expected to 
remain operational until 2025. With 40 mining companies waiting to secure 
government permits to employ submarine tailings disposal, community and 
environmental groups are concerned about the damage that could result if mining 
companies are not held accountable for the pollution and damage caused by their 
operations.


For more information:

Recent articles:
"Indonesia to Probe Newmont Unit On Pollution Allegation," Dow Jones, 21 July 
2004.

"Indonesians Accuse American Mining Company of Mercury Poisoning," Voice of 
America, 21 July 2004.

JATAM - Indonesian Mining Advocacy Network

WALHI - Indonesia Forum for the Environment

Sumarine Tailings Disposal Toolkit, by Project Underground and MiningWatch 
Canada

International Conference on Submarine Tailings Disposal, 23-30 April 2001, 
Manado, Indonesia



 

http://www.nodirtygold.org/buyat_bay_indonesia.cfm


Visit my daughter's homepage at:
http://www.geocities.com/hana_hanifah7
                
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Win 1 of 4,000 free domain names from Yahoo! Enter now.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 
Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar.
Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/BRUplB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 

***************************************************************************
Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg 
Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. www.ppi.4t.com
***************************************************************************
__________________________________________________________________________
Mohon Perhatian:

1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik)
2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari.
3. Lihat arsip sebelumnya, www.ppi-india.da.ru; 
4. Posting: ppiindia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
5. Satu email perhari: ppiindia-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
6. No-email/web only: ppiindia-nomail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
7. kembali menerima email: ppiindia-normal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    ppiindia-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
 



--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bagi Anda yang ingin berdiskusi tentang apa saja dg akrab, santai tapi serius 
dan penuh persahabatan dg seluruh masyarakat/mahasiswa Indonesia di luar negeri 
serta tokoh-tokoh intelektual dan pejabat Tanah Air, silahkan bergabung dg 
milis ppiindia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Kirim email kosong ke: 
ppiindia-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx atau kunjungi 
www.geocities.com/arsip_nasional/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other related posts: