East Kalimantan to punish stubborn companies
Nurni Sulaiman, The Jakarta Post, Balikpapan | Sat, 02/07/2009 1:05 PM
The East Kalimantan provincial administration will take stern action against stubborn companies operating in the province for not being in compliance with the Environmental Impacts Analysis (Amdal) that was submitted before their operations.
East Kalimantan Governor Awang Faroek Ishak said that the environment was being degraded with the presence of mining companies and timber concession holders.
He pointed to several timber firms who abandoned millions of hectares of land in critically poor condition after their concessions expired. Currently, there are 6 million hectares of critical land in East Kalimantan.
"The timber firms simply walked away from the province, leaving thousands of workers unemployed," he said.
"There are also coal miners whose activities harm the environment and cause floods and pollute rivers."
Most coal miners in East Kalimantan employ the open-pit mining system where coal deposits are extracted directly from the earth's surface. This system leaves huge pits hundreds of meters wide and dozens of meters deep.
"Based on these experiences, we urge regents and mayors in the province to take stern action if these companies have caused pollution and environmental damage," Awang said.
"Regional heads should not extend the contracts of such companies."
Awang said regional administrations should also closely monitor mining companies' Amdal applications and the requirements to conduct reclamation.
He said the Amdal applica-tion and reclamation had yet to be fully implemented by many companies that were operating in East Kalimantan.
"I believe it is fair to take stern action against companies that are not paying attention to the environment," Awang said.
"Companies operating in East Kalimantan should pay more attention to their corporate social responsibility programs."
Pits created by the open-pit mining system have caused residents living near the mines to be flooded with water and mud.
Three students were killed in mid-2008 when they drowned while swimming in a pond created from a coal pit in Tenggarong Seberang district in Kutai Kartanegara regency.
