Bongkaras, Indonesia, lies in the shadow of a planned zinc mine. Tonggo Simangunsong
The Supreme Court of Indonesia has withdrawn approval for a zinc mine and dammed waste pond being built near a fault line in North Sumatra. The ruling comes as a relief to locals, who feared an earthquake would destroy the dam, flooding villages below with toxic waste.
The high court said the Ministry of Environment and Forestry had failed to properly consult villagers living near the Dairi Prima Mineral mine and it directed the agency to revoke its approval of the project. The decision comes after years of legal wrangling over the mine. “Now the Supreme Court have made it clear — further development of this mine is unlawful,” said Mangatur Lumban Toruan, who lives in the nearby village of Sumbari. “The mine is dangerous.”
Yale Environment 360 previously reported on the risks posed by the dam, which analysts said was almost certain to fail, unleashing more than a million tons of mining waste, or tailings, into nearby villages. “I have never seen a plan for a tailings disposal facility that showed such callous disregard for human life,” mining expert Steven Emerman, formerly of Utah Valley University, told e360.
Dairi Prima Mineral said that, despite the ruling, it will move forward with the minining project. The Chinese-backed firm plans to appeal the high court’s decision.
