PT Newmont clarifies<\/p>\n
The characterization of the PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (PT NNT)
\ntailings pipeline leak that appeared in the Jan. 25, 2001,
\nedition of The Jakarta Post might lead your readers to believe
\nthat the company is trying to minimize the importance of the
\nevent and has no plan to deal with the problem. Any portrayal of
\nthe events of Jan. 22, 2001, as such is not correct.<\/p>\n
The leak that occurred in the tailings pipeline may not have
\nbeen large, but it was a serious event that resonates in the
\nlocal communities. As such, one of the first actions the company
\ntook when the leak occurred was to gather the leaders from the
\nlocal community and take them to the site of the leak so they
\ncould physically see the repairs going on while they received a
\nbriefing on the event. Additionally, the company representatives
\nheld the tailings materials in their hands and demonstrated that
\nthe tailings are nontoxic in order to dispel rumors to the
\ncontrary.<\/p>\n
For the benefit of your readers, the fact of the incidents are
\nas follows. Between 2 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 22, a two-
\ncentimeter wide leak occurred in the tailings pipeline causing
\nsome 10,000 liters of seawater and ground rock (called tailings)
\nto spill into the pipeline's spill containment area. The leak was
\nreported shortly after one of the hourly physical checks of the
\npipeline that our company conducts. Once spotted, the pipeline
\nwas shut down to facilitates repairs. The repairs were completed
\nwithin four hours.<\/p>\n
While the leak was not welcomed by PT NNT, it has been
\nanticipated and planned for. Since conducting line tests after a
\nsimilar leak in early November, the company has known that
\nseveral lengths of pipe had a defective rubber lining allowing
\nthe seawater inside the pipe to corrode the steel pipes' outer
\nshell and produce small leaks. PT NNT has ordered replacements
\nand has been waiting for the manufacturer to ship replacements
\nfor those sections where problems have been identified. All of
\nthe defective sections are in the onshore section of the tailings
\npipeline and will be replaced by March, when the new pipe
\nsections will be delivered by the manufacturer. Until then, the
\ncompany will maintain its constant monitoring of the pipeline to
\nminimize any possible impact of such leaks.<\/p>\n
A leak in our tailings line is a serious issue that the
\ncompany shared with the communities surrounding the mine so that
\nthey could understand exactly what happened. No doubt there will
\nbe people who seek to take advantage of the incident to twist the
\nfacts and manipulate the emotions of the general public. We hope
\nthat by fully disclosing the details of the leak and the
\ncompany's subsequent actions to the local communities and the
\ngeneral public that we can avoid any confusion or
\nmisrepresentation of the event. We also hope that the public
\nunderstands how concerned we are about respecting their rights to
\nbe informed about the functioning of the major development
\nproject operating in their midst.<\/p>\n
EDWARD PRESSMAN<\/p>\n
Director of Technical Affairs<\/p>\n
PT Newmont Pacific Nusantara<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pt-newmont-clarifies-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }