Damaged Forests and Rice Fields, Illegal Gold Mines in Gorontalo are Disciplined

GORONTALO - A joint team consisting of the TNI, Polri, and forest police carried out a crackdown on illegal gold mining activities in Teratai Village, Marisa District, Pohuwato Regency, Gorontalo. The operation targeted forest areas that had been changed to function as mining sites without permits.

The Head of the Pohuwato Police, AKBP Busroni, explained that this enforcement action was carried out as a follow-up to President Prabowo Subianto's instructions in an effort to eradicate unlicensed gold mining or PETI which has a serious impact on the environment.

According to him, illegal mining practices not only violate the law, but also trigger extensive ecosystem damage. Therefore, the police went directly to the location to stop all activities that took place.

During the operation, officers combed the mine area and found a number of mining camps standing in the forest area.

All semi-permanent buildings were forcibly demolished to prevent the location from being used again for illegal mining activities.

However, officers did not find the miners on the spot. It is suspected that they had fled before the officers arrived at the location. However, various mining equipment was found, ranging from fuel oil, water pipes, tarpaulins, to rough carpets that are commonly used to filter gold grains.

In addition, several heavy equipment units used in mining activities were also secured from a number of points.

All the evidence was then taken to the Pohuwato Police for further investigation.

AKBP Busroni emphasized that the use of heavy equipment in the illegal mine caused severe damage in the mountainous area.

The landscape turned into a large basin resembling small lakes. As a result, the PETI activity also triggered mud floods to residents' settlements and damaged agricultural land.

Sedimentation of mud from the mining area resulted in the failure of the residents' rice fields or a decrease in production results.

"Environmental damage is clearly visible, ranging from agricultural land that has been turned into a pond, to residential areas that have been affected by mud floods. This condition is very detrimental to the community," said AKBP Busroni.

Currently, the police are still pursuing those suspected of being the owners or managers of the illegal gold mine. The identities of the perpetrators are said to have been bagged by the police.