Environmentalists urge STD ban

Environmentalists urge STD ban

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Environmentalists have renewed calls for the government to
completely ban submarine tailings disposal (STD) in the country,
for fear of further pollution, such as that blamed on mining firm
PT Newmont Minahasa Raya in Buyat Bay.

STD is one of the core problems exacerbating the condition of
Buyat Bay in North Sulawesi, and the waters off Sumbawa island,
West Nusa Tenggara, which is home to another Newmont mining site,
they argued.

"But even without the Buyat case, STD remains a controversial
issue worldwide. And, as I've said before, the method should be
banned for a number of reasons, particularly the control factor,"
former environment minister Sonny Keraf told The Jakarta Post.

STD is the disposal of mine waste in the form of tailings in
the ocean, which consist of crushed rock, ore and substances,
after most of the sought metals have been extracted.

Sonny, who was the environment minister when Newmont was
operating in Buyat, said that both on-land disposal and submarine
disposal were acceptable methods so long as the tailings were
completely detoxified so that they were under the environmentally
safe limit.

"However, there are reasons why it would be better if we used
only on-land disposal. For example, control would be much easier,
because, on land, we can directly see the effect," he said.

He added that such things as strong currents or winds could
spread the tailings and pollute the water, despite the presence
of the thermocline.

Masnellyarti Hilman, a member of a joint government team
investigating the Buyat Bay pollution case, said one of the
reasons why the government was reluctant to ban STD was that it
believes the thermocline is able to separate the oxygen under the
ocean and prevent the tailings from resurfacing.

But, various studies have shown that tailings could break
through the thermocline when upwelling and turbulence occur,
particularly in a tropical climate like Indonesia's, she added.

Masnellyarti, from the Office of the State Minister of the
Environment, said that in Indonesia, the thermocline is usually
located 200 meters to 300 meters below sea level.

"It's safest when the tailings -- if you must use STD -- are
disposed of 300 meters below sea level. I don't know why Newmont
claimed the layer was 80 meters below sea level (in Buyat Bay),"
she said.

Concurring with Sonny, Masnellyarti said the monitoring of STD
could cost up to Rp 1 billion (US$111.23 million) for one
monitoring expedition using a submarine vessel.

The United States-based Newmont was the first firm to use STD
in Indonesia and will soon be followed by five other companies:
Australia's Asia Pacific Nickel/BHP in Papua, Canada's Weda Bay
Nikel and Ingold in Maluku, Australia's PT Meares Soputan Mining
in North Sulawesi and PT Jember Metal and Banyuwangi Minerals in
East Java.

STD has been effectively banned in the United States, Canada,
and Australia.

Newmont's environmental manager Imelda Adisaputra said it
would be unfair to totally ban the use of STD because Indonesia
has very complex topographic conditions.

"We chose STD in Buyat because the area is prone to
earthquakes and landslides, and located near villages. We were
afraid that if we used on-land disposal, we would have to build
waste dams on higher ground... What would happen if an earthquake
occurred?" she told the Post.

She agreed, however, that tighter monitoring and examinations
were necessary before permitting an STD venture, but a total ban
would be unrealistic as STD suited certain mining sites more than
other methods.