The Kendeng Mountains Care Community Network (JMPPK) built a monitoring post for monitoring violations of the Watuputih groundwater basin (CAT) mining in the North Kendeng Mountains, Rembang, Central Java, Monday (24/6/2019).

A number of residents who are members of the JMPPK wear clothes in the style of the Punokawan puppet characters. During the process of establishing the post, a number of security officers monitored the residents.

JMPPK activist, Ngatiban said, this post was built on the PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Production Operation Mining Business License (IUP-OP) area in Rembang. “This is because this company actually does mining using heavy equipment and explosives. Based on the Kendeng Strategic Environmental Study, mining is prohibited in the Wapututih CAT area,” he said in a release to Tirto, Monday (24/6/2019).

This prohibition, he said, should have prevented PT Semen Indonesia from mining at CAT Watuputih, so that it would continue to source raw materials from Tuban Regency, East Java. KLHS Kendeng Phase I was made by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) together with the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) in 2017. CAT Watuputih is categorized as a protected area, according to the criteria set by the National Spatial Plan (RTRW). CAT Watuputih is recommended as a Karst Landscape Area (KBAK). “The Central Java Provincial Government and the Rembang Regency Government are asked to propose to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to designate a KBAK area, until now there have been no signs of this,” he said.

Ngatiban also said that the mining activities carried out by PT Semen Indonesia made the agricultural area there always covered with dust, so that land productivity decreased drastically.

“The drought has forced us to deepen our wells because water is increasingly difficult to find,” he said. Meanwhile, the embung made by Semen Indonesia was only used as a death picker, according to him, which resulted in 4 people dying from drowning.

“This post is also a replacement for the battle tent that we built before, but it was ruthlessly damaged and burned, which until now the perpetrator has not been arrested by the Rembang Police,” he added. It is known that the tents made by JMPPK were established on June 16, 2014. However, on February 10, 2017 at around 19.30, the tents were destroyed and burned about 70 people. Until now the perpetrator has not been arrested, the police admit that it is difficult to obtain evidence.

Source: Tirto