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View all search resultsGovt to sanction Morowali industrial park for environmental violations
The Environment Ministry is coming down hard on IMIP over multiple violations at its nickel hub in Central Sulawesi, following public outrage over exploitative activities in Papua's famed marine tourist hot spot Raja Ampat.
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Nickel smelters spew emissions on Jan. 26, 2024, into the skies above Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park and a nearby settlement in Bahodopi district, Morowali regency, Central Sulawesi. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
T
he Environment Ministry plans to impose administrative sanctions on PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), operator of a nickel industry hub in Morowali regency, Central Sulawesi, over multiple environmental violations.
IMIP oversees a 2,000-hectare industrial estate with 28 active companies and 14 others currently building their facilities.
However, the ministry’s investigation found that factory development and industrial activities had expanded beyond the area approved in the environmental impact assessment (Amdal).
It also discovered a 10 ha unapproved area used to store an estimated 12 million tonnes of slag and tailings, residual materials generated from nickel mining and processing.
“This is a serious concern. As the area’s operator, IMIP must ensure full compliance. The company must immediately halt activities not covered by its environmental [permit],” Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said on Wednesday, as quoted by news agency Antara.
Other identified violations include excessive air pollution, an unlicensed waste processing facility and inadequate wastewater management that poses a risk of environmental contamination.
Rizal Irawan, the ministry’s law enforcement deputy, said possible penalties included administrative fines and other coercive measures, adding that the ministry would order a comprehensive environmental audit of the industrial park.
