1. North Minahasa, North Sulawesi
The Toka Tindung gold mine is located in North Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi. This gold mine is one of the largest gold mining operations in Southeast Asia.
Located approximately 35 km northeast of Manado, the Toka Tindung pure gold mine is operated by PT Archi Indonesia Tbk.
PT Archi Indonesia Tbk manages the gold mining business through its subsidiaries, PT Meares Soputan Mining (MSM) and PT Tambang Tondano Nusajaya (TTN).
Both currently hold Contracts of Work (CoW) for a 40,000-hectare mining concession in North Sulawesi.
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2. Bombana, Southeast Sulawesi
Bombana Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, is a gold-producing region that frequently attracts attention.
However, news coverage of the Bombana gold mine is often linked to illegal mining activities or even accidents involving artisanal miners.
Gold mines in Bombana are spread across several sub-districts, such as Rarowatu and North Rarowatu.
Citing data from the Statistics Indonesia (BPS) of Southeast Sulawesi Province, in 2022, there were at least Seven gold mining companies in Bombana.
These companies operate gold mines in five districts: North Rarowatu, Lantari Jaya, Central Kabaena, East Kabaena, and North Poleang.
For your information, gold mining is indeed profitable for some. However, this is not the case for communities living in mining areas.
This is because mining activities pose several dangers that can threaten their health and the environment. Here are some of the disadvantages of mining.
1. Contaminating and polluting water
Gold mining negatively impacts surrounding water sources. Generally, toxic mining waste contains hazardous chemicals, including arsenic, lead, mercury, acid, cyanide, and petroleum byproducts.