Delivering An Open Letter To Jokowi, Chair Of NTT Mataloko Geothermal Care Forum Asking President's Promise To Conduct A Review

JAKARTA - Maria Kristina Bupu, Chair of the Forum on Environmental Impacts of the Geothermal Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP), Mataloko delivered an open letter to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). In the open letter in the form of a video, Maria demanded the President's promise to visit the Mataloko Geothermal Working Area (WKP), Ngada Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province.

"I am Maria Kristina Bupu, Chair of the Forum Concerning the Environmental Impact of Geothermal PLTP, Mataloko who met President Jokowi on September 11, 2016, in Banten Karangantu. At that time, you promised to directly inspect, set your foot on Mataloko Geothermal Earth due to the supply of toxic H2S gas, which has disturbed local residents within a radius of 0 to 2 km," Maria said in the 2-minute video, quoted Thursday, April 14.

She detailed that the impact that is now being felt by the community around the Mataloko WKP is the decline in agricultural and plantation productivity as the community's main source of livelihood.

"Secondly, H2S gas has polluted the air which interferes with breathing, damaged the roofs of residents' houses, schools, places of worship and other related institutions," she said.

Third, the mudflow along with the sulfur that is currently at the location has disturbed the lives of the local indigenous people and caused the loss of residents' land.

"Therefore, we are waiting for your promise to directly review the Mataloko Geothermal PLTP project. Thank you," concluded Maria.

The Mataloko PLTP is one of the electricity infrastructure development programs included in the 35,000 MW program. This program is part of the National Strategic Project (PSN) in the region.

Previously, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and PT PLN (Persero) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the study of exploration and drilling of production wells in the Mataloko Geothermal Working Area (WKP).

PLN estimates that the construction of the Mataloko PLTP with a capacity of 20 megawatts (MW) is estimated to cost IDR 101.8 billion.