8,000 Hectares of Mine Reclaimed in 2021

TheIndonesia.id - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has revealed that 8,539 hectares of mine were reclaimed in 2021, exceeding the initial target of national land reclamation.

Director general of mineral and coal Ridwan Jamaludin confirmed that the Ministry managed to achieve 121.5 percent of 2021 land reclamation target.

“We can report that in 2021, the target for land reclamation is 7,025 hectares, and the realization was 8,539 hectares or 121.5 percent from initial plan,” Jamaludin said on Thursday, January 20, as reported by Antara.

He said the Ministry will continue to monitor and ensure that land reclamation is properly done by mining companies.

Law No. 3/2020 on mining, Jamaludin added, forces companies and individuals to fulfill the mandatory reclamation as the Law regulates strict sanctions, including criminal ones, for those who fail to do their obligation.

The Law regulates that concession holders must carry out 100 percent reclamation and post mining management. They face this risk of maximum sentence of five years imprisonment or Rp100 billion (US$7 million) when fail to do so.

As for 2022, the Ministry targets 7,050 hectares of land reclamation.

“We’re optimistic that, similar to 2021, land reclamation in 2022 will exceed the target,” Jamaludin concluded.