Scientists say Buyat Bay is clean, monitoring needed

Harry Bhaskara and Jongker Rumteh, The Jakarta Post, Manado

Scientists gathering for a seminar here concluded on Tuesday that they did not find any pollution in Buyat Bay, a scenic coastal area about 80 kilometers southwest of here.

"Buyat Bay is not polluted and the quality of sea water in the bay has not endangered marine organisms there," Dr. Haryoto Kusnoputranto told journalists at the end of a two-day international seminar titled "A Lesson from the Gold Mining Controversy in Buyat Bay".

Controversy over the alleged pollution in the bay has been going on for more than a year with PT Newmont Minahasa Raya featuring prominently as certain environmental activists put the blame on the huge gold mining company operating near the bay.

Haryoto of the University of Indonesia represented his 34 fellow local and foreign scientists who presented their views in the seminar. They came from a number of top universities including University of Sam Ratulangi (Unsrat), University of Gadjah Mada, University of Padjadjaran, University of Trisakti, as well as scientists from Australia and Germany.

The decision, called a "preliminary conclusion" by the scientists, is in contradiction to findings of the Ministry of Environment and the National Police who are prosecuting Newmont in Jakarta and Manado courts.

The scientists also agreed to set up a Buyat Center in Unsrat responsible for research, monitoring and evaluation of mining operations not only in North Sulawesi, but also in other provinces.

"The lesson we learn from Buyat," Haryoto said, "is that we failed to monitor the environment before a mine was opened in a given area."

The center is meant to compensate for this failure by monitoring mining activities of a company even before it is open, and will continue on until it is closed.

The controversy has divided not only government agencies but also researchers at Unsrat itself.

The decision came at the end of a two-day seminar, organized by the University of Sam Ratulangi, attended by more than 100 participants including academics, businessman and government officials. About 40 companies sponsored the seminar, including three Newmont companies.

PT Newmont Minahasa Raya was slated to be closed in 2003 after operating in Buyat since 1996, but the closure has been put in limbo due to the prolonged controversy. Certain environmental activists claimed last year that some of the 220 villagers at Buyat Bay had suffered various diseases linked to the alleged pollution in the bay. The scientists gathered here in Manado had rejected this claim

The controversy has not only divided NGOs with researchers; researchers themselves are also divided. In one of the sessions earlier in the day, a researcher recounted his experience:

"I swam 40 meters into the Bay and found no tailings, but how can another researcher claim that he found tailings at the bottom of the sea at a depth of 80 meters, and his report was published?" Laurentius Lalamentik from Unsrat asked in the session.

Lalamentik's dismay reflects the difficulties faced by researchers in finding objectivity in a controversy often contaminated by conflicting interests of different parties.

Scientists here said that they have embarked on an ambitious challenge not to repeat the bitter experience of Buyat anywhere else in the country.

Scientist's preliminary conclusions on Buyat Bay:

* No scientific research has found pollution in the bay.
* Water quality in the bay has not had an adverse effect on marine life.
* Coral reefs have shown natural and normal growth.
* Concentrations of mercury and arsenic are still below WHO benchmarks.
* Mercury content in the blood and hair of villagers is below tolerable limits.
* Arsenic contents in blood, hair and urine is below tolerable limits.
* No linkage was found between heavy metal content in human bodies and the diseases suffered by Buyat and Ratatotok villagers.
* Buyat controversy stems from the social condition of the villagers and provocation by certain parties.
* No relation was found between arsenic contamination and mining activities.
* Contamination in the bay comes from a variety of sources, including nature itself.

Recommendation:

* Gold mining should employ more environmentally friendly methods.
* Submarine Tailings Disposal is decided upon the fulfillment of its requirements.
* Further research is needed on the mild tumors and bloated bodies of villagers
* Immediately set up Buyat Center to deal with multiple aspects of mining operations.