BRKS and Poliwangi Student Executive Body Highlight Suspected Illegal Gold Mining in Petak 56

Banyuwangi (ANTARA) - The Student Executive Body (BEM) of Banyuwangi State Polytechnic (Poliwangi), East Java, and the Building Resilience Kindness Society (BRKS) have raised concerns over suspected illegal gold mining activity in the Petak 56 area. This was revealed during a discussion titled ‘The Green Future of Banyuwangi’, attended by dozens of students, environmental activists, academics, and journalists, held at the Abdullah Azwar Anas Hall of Banyuwangi State Polytechnic on Friday. During the discussion, Eka noted that besides pollution from mining waste, damage to forest cover which functions as a water catchment area was also highlighted. ‘Damage to forest areas that serve as water catchment and absorption zones has also occurred. This certainly affects the quality of groundwater for the local community. To date, there has been no truly comprehensive research to determine the water quality conditions in the vicinity,’ Eka said. Eka added that the issue of illegal mining is not only related to environmental damage, but such activities also have the potential to trigger social conflicts, both among miners and between miners and the surrounding community. Meanwhile, Chairman of Poliwangi’s Student Executive Body, Rofi Nazar Amrikin, asserted that student involvement in the Petak 56 issue stems from a concern for Banyuwangi’s environmental conditions. He stated that the discussion must not stop at discourse but should produce concrete steps that can be followed up together. ‘We are driven by concern for the surrounding environment. There must be concrete goals so that there is follow-up regarding mining activities in Petak 56,’ he said. Rofi expressed hope that the results of the discussion could mark the beginning of collaboration between students, civil society, academics, and the government in formulating solutions to the illegal mining problem that has long been a concern for many parties.