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Indonesia's extractive industry vulnerable to natural disasters: Report
A report issued by Bersihkan Indonesia Coalition (Cleaning Indonesia Coalition) reveals that thousands of mines, power plants and smelters are located in disaster-prone areas.
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This picture taken on May 19, 2017 shows an open-pit coal mine in Jambi, south Sumatra. A mining and clean energy coalition has warned that many extractive industry facilities are located in disaster-prone regions. (AFP/Goh Chai Hin)
Thousands of mines, power plants and other facilities in the extractive industry are sitting on time bombs as they are located within or near natural disaster-prone areas across the country, according to a report recently issued by a mining and clean energy watchdog coalition.
The report suggests a gap between the business-licensing process and disaster-mitigation, as well as environmental-protection measures, which could cause harm to local residents when natural disasters strike.
The report was issued by the Bersihkan Indonesia Coalition (Cleaning Indonesia Coalition), which compiled disaster risk mapping made by authorities such as the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). The coalition later overlaid the maps with the location of mines, power plants and smelters across the country according to data from Global Energy Monitor. Among the members of the coalition are environmental groups Trend Asia and Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam).
The coalition found that more than 3,000 mines, power plants and smelters are located in areas designated as disaster-prone areas. Prevailing regulations prohibit the construction of buildings in disaster-prone areas designated in regional spatial planning.
Trend Asia director Ahmad Ashov Birry said the significant number of extractive industry facilities found in disaster-prone areas showed that authorities prioritized the interests of industry over the safety of people from natural disaster hazards.
