Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – Standing in front of 3,000 people, Mari, a junior high school student, reads out a poem reminding people of how environmentally harmful mining activities can be.
"What will we, your next generation, have to pass on to our children, if you, our elders, leave us a land filled with huge and toxic holes?"
Mari was speaking to mark the National Day for Flowers and National Parks, but the question is not as rhetorical as it sounds. Bangka Belitung Environmental Impact Control Office head Tunggul Pakpahan said about 6,000 pit-mining holes had been found across the province.
Polluted with dangerous mining chemicals the holes were left untreated by companies and individual miners after they extracted the copper.
"They were all caused by illegal mining. Not just by companies, but also by groups of people carrying out 'unconventional mining' operations," he told The Jakarta Post recently.
Mining – illegal and legal – has left scars in provinces throughout Indonesia, with some of the worst affected areas being the Bintan Islands in South Sumatra, the island of Kalimantan and Papua.
Despite the prevalence of illegal miners, the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) says the major post-mining threats are posed by huge multinational companies that have been exploiting mineral resources in Indonesia for decades.
In its 2005 report, Jatam said four decades of legal mining had contributed little to improving the Indonesian economy but had heavily damaged the country's environment.
"The mining industry has failed to become a pillar of the national economy, let alone make the local people prosper," the report says.
During the past four years, the mining sector only contributed between Rp 1.3 trillion (US$136 million) and Rp 2.3 trillion to the national budget, Jatam claimed.
Citing two cases of alleged pollution involving two large international mining companies last year – PT Freeport Indonesia and PT Newmont Minahasa Raya, the organization suggested that mining should only be "the last resort" for the government to promote economic development.
"To improve the current conditions, the government must review the regulations on the mining industry to prevent further environmental destruction. Mining should be the last choice for investment here," Jatam coordinator Maimunah said. Although large international mining companies here are taken to court, there are few cases made against illegal miners or mining companies.
Environmental activists have accused Freeport, which operates the world's largest gold and copper mine in Papua, of polluting the Aijkwa River, where it disposed its tailings for more than 30 years. That case has not gone to court.
Gold-miner Newmont, meanwhile, is facing criminal charges in a court in Manado, North Sulawesi, for allegedly polluting Buyat Bay with its mine tailings.
Both companies have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, claiming they carried out environmentally friendly mining operations in line with the country's regulations on environmental protection.
State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said irresponsible mining activities led to land degradation, increasing the risks of natural disasters, such as flash floods and landslides during the rainy season and drought in the dry season.
"God has given us this mineral-rich country. But we don't have to exploit all of the land. There should be a balance between mining and preserving the land and forests," he said.
The minister said his office would encourage local administrations, NGOs, civic groups and individuals to restore post-mining sites by planting trees.
"We will also enforce the law. Any organization that carries out mining operations and neglects to protect the environment will certainly be taken to court," he said.
Former environment minister Sonny Keraf said the House of Representatives was still in the process of debating a draft law on natural resources management.
That law has more regulations protecting the environment from mining activities.