[ti:Some on Indonesian Islands Fear Mining Damage to Environment]
[al:As It Is]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2025-01-02]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]Indonesia has the world's largest known supply of nickel and major supplies of valuable minerals, including cobalt and bauxite. 
[00:12.53]However, the mining industry there is being criticized for not protecting the environment and some Indonesian island people.
[00:25.03]The Southeast Asian country is involved in mining that produces materials important to the manufacture of stainless steel and electric vehicle batteries, among other things.
[00:42.21]Indonesia is aiming to expand its mining and processing industries.
[00:48.68]But the development could face opposition from international and local groups.
[00:56.01]Nickel processing centers are becoming more common in parts of Indonesia. 
[01:04.29]Sometimes, the plants are near the sea where many boats line up to carry ore, a mineral combination that contains nickel.
[01:16.43]Sometimes, these plants are near schools or places where local people fish or farm.
[01:26.32]The World Resources Institute, based in Washington D.C., says from 2001 to 2020, 1.4 million hectares of trees were cut down around the world.
[01:44.16]Indonesia is estimated to have had the highest loss.
[01:50.27]Amanda Hurowitz is a director with Mighty Earth.
[01:56.46]The environmental group is also based in Washington, D.C. 
[02:02.85]Hurowitz said that, on the island of Kabaena, mining companies have cleared 3,700 hectares of forest in the last 22 years.
[02:18.45]Fishermen who used to fish off the island have said the waters are filled with sediment from the mines.
[02:28.59]People in farming communities also say they are affected.
[02:35.74]They say sugar cane, sugar palms and clove trees do not grow well anymore.
[02:44.44]Amal Susanto is a sugar palm farmer.
[02:49.12]He said: "That's the effect: The growth of the sugar palm trees will not be as good because of the influence of mining."
[03:01.15]Susanto lives in an area where permits have been approved but mining has not yet begun.
[03:10.49]People living in the area have reported health problems.
[03:16.35]Some told the Associated Press (AP) that they suffered from itchy skin, sore throat and other difficulties.
[03:28.59]The Indonesia-based nonprofit group Satya Bumi sent water, dust and shellfish from the area to a laboratory this year. 
[03:43.55]The group said the results showed dangerous levels of nickel, lead and cadmium. These substances are linked to mining.
[03:58.08]Kathrin Shilling is an assistant professor and biology researcher at Columbia University in New York City. 
[04:10.07]She studied the lab results. 
[04:12.78]Shilling told the AP, "If people on this island are using the river water as drinking water...you cannot escape basically any of the exposure to those toxic metals."
[04:29.82]Kabaena is not the only place affected. To the north, on a larger island, Torobulu is another place where mining damage can be seen.
[04:44.50]The mining problems continue although Indonesia's constitutional court ruled in March of this year that small islands such as Kabaena should have special protection.
[05:00.52]However, a researcher from Satya Bumi said the government is still approving mining permits.
[05:10.46]The group Mighty Earth said 150 hectares of forest have been cleared on Kabaena since April 1. 
[05:24.16]And it said over half of that was on land controlled by the mining company Tonia Mitra Sejahtera. 
[05:34.54]The company and Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources did not answer requests for comment from the AP.
[05:47.35]Amiruddin is a 53-year-old fisherman on Kabaena Island. 
[05:56.00]He said the results of the government permits for mining have affected many people.
[06:04.02]"All residents here have felt the impact," he said.
[06:12.62]I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.