Mercury test at all mining sites urged
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.