Samarinda \u2014 The saga of illegal mining in East Kalimantan seems\nnever-ending. Behind the massive pits carved out in secret lies a\nlong-standing story of a once-convoluted permitting system. The Head of\nEast Kalimantan\u2019s Energy and Mineral Resources Agency (ESDM), Bambang\nArwanto, shed light on the issue in Samarinda on Thursday (1 May\n2025).<\/p>\n
According to Bambang, the prevalence of illegal mining is inseparable\nfrom the mining permit system that existed before the introduction of\nOnline Single Submission (OSS).<\/p>\n
\u201cPreviously, before the OSS era, the permitting mechanism allowed\noverlapping permits to occur, especially when the commodities involved\nwere different. So there were parties who could obtain permits on land\nwhere other permits already existed, or on land that had not yet been\nreleased,\u201d Bambang said.<\/p>\n
In practice, land whose ownership had not yet been formally released\nbecame a loophole. Some community members who felt their land rights had\nnot been properly settled were tempted to engage in illegal mining\nthemselves. Amid economic pressures, wildcat mining was seen as an\nalluring shortcut.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was land where permits existed, but the land itself had not\nbeen released. That\u2019s what was exploited, leading to the emergence of\nillegal mines,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
However, since the risk-based OSS system (OSS-RBA) was implemented in\n2018 and refined in 2021, Bambang said such situations should no longer\nrecur. Under OSS-RBA, permits can no longer overlap and must comply with\nSpatial Use Activity Conformity Approval (PKKPR).<\/p>\n
\u201cConflicting permits can no longer be issued. If a permit does not\nconform to spatial planning, it is automatically rejected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Bambang acknowledged that pockets of illegal mining\nactivity remain. The East Kalimantan Provincial Government, he stressed,\ncontinues to work on curbing such activities. The public has also been\nurged to actively report any illegal mining they discover.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have provided a complaints channel at the East Kalimantan ESDM\nAgency. We ask the public to help monitor the situation. If there is\nillegal mining, report it,\u201d he urged.<\/p>\n
His hope is that through systemic improvements and strict oversight,\nthe tangled web of illegal mining in East Kalimantan can gradually be\nunravelled, and the abandoned mining pits will one day be nothing more\nthan a story of the past.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/illegal-mining-in-east-kalimantan-linked-to-legacy-permitting-flaws-says-provincial-energy-chief-1771237866", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }