Jayapura Regency to regulate illegal mining activities

Jayapura (ANTARA) - The Jayapura Regency Government (Pemkab), Papua, will soon regulate all illegal mining activities that violate the law in the region. “We will regulate all mining activities in Jayapura Regency, especially those without official permits,” said Jayapura Regent Yunus Wonda in his statement in Jayapura on Monday. According to Wonda, his side discovered illegal gold mining activities on Friday (10/4) while conducting river waste cleanup in the Jaifuri River in Yokiwa Village, East Sentani District. “Therefore, we will check whether there is permission from the provincial government or not; if not, we will regulate the gold mining activities in the Jaifuri River,” he said. “We will collaborate with the Papua Provincial Government to stop illegal mining activities that damage forests,” he added. He further explained that heavy equipment and camps used by the miners were observed, and the excavated materials were dumped into the lake estuary, causing shallowing and narrowing of the water flow. “This condition is considered to worsen flooding in Lake Sentani, especially during the rainy season,” he stated.