TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Environment and Forestry Ministry has completed an environmental inspection of Freeport Indonesia's operations in Mimika, Papua. The examination is a follow-up on the audit results by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) in May.
The ministry's law enforcement Director General Asrul Ridho Sani said the examination was conducted by 20 observers. The team has now returned to Jakarta to prepare the inspection report. But Asrul said he did not know the preliminary results.
"I have not received the report yet," he told Tempo last week.
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He was reluctant to predict when the inspection report, would be completed, but said that if there are violations the Ministry would take action against Freeport in accordance with the prevailing rules.
BPK said Freeport polluted the environment because there are mine wastes that spilled into the sea. The pollution, according to BPK, came from the modified ajkwa deposition area (ModADA) that could not accommodate the waste's discharge because the waste container in the pool area had been buried by the mines' sand excess.
The BPK said that potential loss from environmental damage reaches Rp185 trillion. The greatest damage comes from the sea, which is estimated to incur Rp166 trillion.
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BPK also accuses Freeport of violating the Forestry Law for utilizing 4,535.93 hectares of protected forest without a borrow-permit (IPPKH). The green areas are used by Freeport for principle approval, overburden removal expansion, facilities, and waste ponds.
The protected forest used by Freeport has been damaged, as evidenced by the photo shown by Rizal depicting how the forest's green area had changed into gray from mining waste. The finding is corroborated by satellite imagery from the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN).
ROBBY IRFANY
