Crack down launched against illegal mining

BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan: The provincial administration of South Kalimantan is set to crack down against mushrooming illegal coal mining activities in the province by tightening controls on local seaports, an official said.

Head of the administration's coal control office Armain Janit said the governor had instructed port authorities to check any ship which loads coal, starting from May 1.

"It will first be applied at Batulicin port, with other ports to follow later. Mostly the mining operations take their coal from South Kalimantan via Batulicin port," he said, referring to the port in Kotabaru regency, around six hours drive from Banjarmasin.

He disclosed that around 200,000 tons of coal per month were illegally mined in several areas such as Banjar, Tanah Laut, Tapin, Kotabaru and Hulu Sungai. No revenue contributions were made to the local administration.

In several areas, the illegal mining activities also caused serious environmental damage as the miners simply excavated the ground and left it untreated as they moved on to other sites. (32)