Member of Commission XII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Mukhtarudin, said that mining sector business actors must prioritize post-mining ecological restoration as part of their long-term responsibility for environmental recovery.
Mukhtarudin in his statement in Jakarta, Thursday, said that environmental recovery efforts should not stop at technical reclamation, but must touch on the restoration of the ecosystem as a whole.
"Ecological restoration is not just about closing mining holes or planting trees, what we need is the restoration of ecological functions, water, soil, vegetation, and biodiversity that are truly alive again," said the member of the commission in charge of energy and mineral resources, the environment, and investment.
Furthermore, Mukhtarudin highlighted that there are still many abandoned former mining locations, both by companies that have gone bankrupt and those that have not carried out post-mining obligations according to regulations.
This, according to him, shows the weakness of the supervisory system and the need to strengthen sustainability-based regulations.
"Many IUPs (mining business permits) leave mining pits just like that, and the surrounding community bears the ecological risk. The state must not allow this to continue to happen," said the legislator from the Central Kalimantan Electoral District.
Therefore, Mukhtarudin encouraged that supervision of the use of post-mining guarantee funds be carried out in a transparent and accountable manner.
