en.Wedoany.com Reported - Indonesia's Environment Ministry has issued a new environmental approval for a zinc and lead mine in an earthquake-prone area of Sumatra, less than a year after a Supreme Court ruling forced the revocation of a previous permit, drawing sharp criticism from communities and experts.

The new approval is for an updated Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) document submitted by PT Dairi Prima Mineral (DPM) for the mine in Dairi Regency, North Sumatra Province. The previous EIA (known locally as Amdal) was criticized for plans to store mining waste behind a dam, which nearby residents and experts argued posed enormous risks in a highly earthquake-susceptible area.

The updated Amdal eliminates the proposed permanent tailings dam, instead proposing a paste backfill method where mining waste is mixed with cement and water and injected into underground mined-out voids. However, residents who successfully petitioned the Supreme Court to annul the previous Amdal say the new plan does nothing to reduce the risks the mine and its waste pose to the community.

Rainim Purba, a 65-year-old resident from Pandiangan village in Dairi, said, "DPM has simply hidden the same dangerous project in slightly different packaging." She believes the 2024 Supreme Court ruling was intended to ensure the mine could not obtain environmental approval and questioned the ministry's decision.

Steven Emerman, a hydrogeologist and mining waste expert who reviewed the November 2025 Amdal update, called the project "the worst I have seen in many years of reviewing mining proposals globally." He noted that DPM provided no evidence it could backfill 100% of the tailings the mine produces, expressing confusion over the ministry's approval decision. Emerman stated that global industry experience shows only 50% to 60% of tailings can be backfilled, meaning DPM's plan would still require a tailings dam with a capacity of about 2.5 million tons.

Villagers living within the mine's impact zone have long opposed the project, primarily due to the tailings dam in the initial plan. David Williams, Director of the Geotechnical Engineering Centre at the University of Queensland in Australia, said the proposed mine site is one of the most hazardous locations for such a project due to high rainfall, frequent earthquakes, unstable volcanic ash deposits, and landslide risks. Experts warn that the combination of seismic activity and heavy rainfall could lead to a catastrophic tailings dam failure.

Despite repeated warnings from experts and residents, the Environment Ministry approved the project's Amdal in August 2022. The community challenged this approval in court, and in August 2024, the Supreme Court declared the approval invalid, citing issues with public participation procedures, site selection requirements, and disaster risk considerations. The Environment Ministry revoked the approval in May 2025 but issued a new environmental feasibility decree on March 13, 2026.

Critics point out that the updated Amdal fails to address the core issue of how to handle the massive volume of mining waste. DPM stated that the backfill method aligns with sustainable mining practices and is supported by the Indonesian Association of Mining Experts (PERHAPI). However, Emerman highlighted that while DPM claims no permanent tailings facility will be needed after adopting backfill, the revised Amdal mentions a temporary tailings storage pond awaiting backfill, with a total volume of 32,400 cubic meters and an effective volume of about 25,000 cubic meters, with a maximum storage time of 10 days. Experts believe this could become a de facto permanent facility.

Hendra Sinurat, a lawyer from the legal aid organization BAKUMSU, pointed out that the legal basis for the new approval is flawed because it relies on a framework already overturned by the Supreme Court. Some community members have expressed their intention to challenge the new environmental approval in court. Residents say mining activities have already disrupted their lives, including a waste spill in 2012 and flash floods exacerbated by deforestation in 2018, which swept away and killed six residents, dried up rice paddies, and disrupted water supplies.

BAKUMSU Director Juniaty Aritonang stated the organization will support the community's legal challenge. She emphasized that communities have the right to be free from dangerous mining companies, and if the Environment Ministry fails to fulfill its duties, the courts must intervene again.

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