Mercury test at all mining sites urged
Abdul Khalik and Jongker Rumteh, Jakarta/Manado
Experts warned on Friday that mercury pollution could take place at any mining site and urged the government to carry out tests at the sites of all mining companies across the country.
Their warning came a day after a laboratory test conducted by the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MIPA) at the University of Indonesia showed that the blood of four residents living around Buyat Bay in North Sulawesi, where PT Newmont Minahasa Raya disposes its tailings, contained higher mercury levels than normal.
As no mining companies operating in Indonesia use mercury, the substance is believed to come from mineral stones mining firms extract from the site.
Former minister for the environment Sonny Keraf said that most mining sites would produce mercury and that mercury contamination may also take place at other mining sites.
"Mining companies are all alike. They produce and dispose of tailings. So, the Buyat Bay case is happening or at least has the potential to occur at other mining sites," Sonny told The Jakarta Post.
He proposed that a thorough test to check the level of mercury and other chemicals at mining sites and surrounding areas be done to prevent or to reveal similar cases.
Chairman of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Longgena Ginting concurred, saying that almost all mining companies operating in Indonesia were using submarine tailing disposal (STD) in which they dump their waste into the sea.
"They dump their tailings into the sea, hoping that sediment will hold the tailing. However, the high temperature difference between the upper and lower level of tropical waters forces the waste to resurface,' said Longgena, adding that only Papua New Guinea and Indonesia were still employing the STD system.
He said that tailings dumped into the sea would actually pollute the water, fish and people who ate fish.
He also proposed that a thorough medical checkup be conducted for residents living near mining sites to determine whether or not their blood contained mercury.
Mercury contamination at mining sites came to surface early this month following reports that residents living around Buyat Bay in Minahasa, North Sulawesi were suffering from the Minamata disease.
A laboratory test on four Buyat Bay residents revealed that the mercury levels in the blood of Sri Fika, Jukria, Masnah and Rasyid Rahmat were 9.51 microns per liter (u/L), 22.5 u/L, 14.90 u/L and 23.9 u/L respectively.
The mercury levels, however, are still below the mercury level that can cause Minamata disease, but are above the normal level of 8 u/L.
The four residents, who have insisted that the Buyat Bay was contaminated with mercury, presented to police the result of the laboratory test on Friday.
They had also filed a lawsuit against the Office of the State Minister for the Environment, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources for publicly saying that residents around the bay were suffering from skin diseases that have nothing to do with Newmont's operations in the area.
Meanwhile, dozens of students from the Sam Ratulangi University held a street rally in Manado, North Sulawesi on Friday to protest the environmental destruction allegedly caused by Newmont's operations there.
They demanded that the local administration, central government, and the company rehabilitate the environment and provide compensation to fishermen's families around Buyat Bay.
The protesters marched from the governor's office to the provincial legislature and then to PT Newmont Minahasa Raya office to submit their demand.