The burning of coal in the mining area at KM 171, Satui District,\nTanah Bumbu Regency has become evidence of poor mining governance in\nSouth Kalimantan Province.<\/p>\n
Raden Rafiq Wibisono, Executive Director of the Indonesian\nEnvironmental Forum (Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia\/Walhi) for South\nKalimantan, emphasised that the coal mine fire in Satui cannot be\ninterpreted as an isolated incident. It must be placed within a long\nseries of mining problems in the same area, including the collapse of a\nnational road into a mining pit some time ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf comprehensive oversight had been conducted from the beginning, we\nwould not have witnessed state infrastructure in the form of a national\nhighway collapsing and a mine burning in the same location. This proves\nthat our mining governance is in a state of serious crisis,\u201d said Raden\nRafiq on Monday (2 March).<\/p>\n
In 2022, the trans-Kalimantan national highway at KM 171 Satui, Tanah\nBumbu, collapsed into an abandoned coal mining pit. Hundreds of metres\nof the road surface sustained severe damage, with sections even caving\ninto the pit. This incident disrupted South Kalimantan\u2019s primary\ntransportation corridor and affected the mobility of residents and\nlogistics distribution. Several reports noted that the distance between\nthe mining pit and the road surface was extremely close, triggering soil\ninstability.<\/p>\n
Now, at the same location, a fire has occurred, producing thick smoke\nfrom a mining pit suspected to be related to illegal mining activity\n(PETI). The fire point is reported to be within a PKP2B concession area\nbelonging to PT Arutmin Indonesia, a subsidiary of PT Bumi Resources\nTbk, in South Kalimantan, although PT Arutmin Indonesia has stated that\nthe fire occurred within the IUP area of PT Mitra Jaya Abadi\nBersama.<\/p>\n
ILLEGAL ACTIVITY<\/p>\n
The regional government has stated suspicions of illegal activities\nand has reported the incident to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral\nResources through the Directorate General of Minerals and Coal.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly, these two incidents demonstrate problems of unintegrated\ngovernance. Public infrastructure is built without ensuring ecological\nsafety in the surrounding area. Meanwhile, both legal and illegal mining\nactivities operate in spaces that are socially and ecologically highly\nsensitive. When the distance between mining pits and public facilities\nis so close, the risk of disaster is no longer a possibility but an\ninevitability,\u201d said Raden Rafiq.<\/p>\n
Coal fires in open pits have the potential to generate hazardous\nemissions and can persist long-term beneath the ground surface. The\nimpacts extend beyond air quality to soil stability and potential water\ncontamination. In the context of Satui, communities are witnessing a\ncombination of risks: land that has already collapsed is now compounded\nby fire.<\/p>\n
Previously, Acting Head of the Energy and Mineral Resources\nDepartment (ESDM) of South Kalimantan Province, Nasrullah, stated that\nhis office had conducted inspections and reported the case to the\nDirector General of Law Enforcement and the Director General of Minerals\nand Coal at the Ministry of ESDM for field handling.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/coal-mining-fire-in-south-kalimantan-demonstrates-critical-governance-crisis-1772470627", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }