KKP Permanently Stops Sand Mining Practices On Riau Rupat Island

RIAU - Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) permanently suspended sand mining activities on Rupat Island, Riau. The activity was stopped because it was proven to cause damage to the mangrove ecosystem and seagrass.

"In essence, we have officially stopped mining activities on Rupat Island because they have been proven to have caused damage to the mangrove ecosystem and seagrass," said Director General of Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision Adin Nurawaluddin in an official statement in Jakarta, Wednesday, June 21, which was confiscated by Antara.

Adin said, based on the results of the analysis of a team of experts in coastal and marine ecosystems for cases in Rupat, it showed that 25 percent of the damage was caused by natural factors, while the remaining 75 percent were caused by actions or human negligence.

Due to the damage caused, Adin explicitly said that the KKP has permanently stopped mining activities in the region, and submitted a request for evaluation of mining licensing in the waters of Rupat Island to the Ministry of Energy, Resources and Minerals (ESDM).

"In addition, PT. LMU and other companies that also caused damage were also subject to administrative fines as a responsibility for the damage caused," he said.

In the future, continued Adin, matters related to sea sand mining are regulated in Government Regulation Number 26 of 2023 concerning the Management of sedimentation in the Sea. So that it can anticipate similar cases on the island of Rupat so that it does not happen again.

Adin emphasized that with the issuance of Government Regulation Number 26 of 2023, the location of the sediment mine can only be determined based on research by a team of experts. So that the location that can be mined is a location where sediments can be taken, not sand which is an important part of the existence of the island or marine ecosystem.

"Before PP 26/2023 was not clear, sand was considered as one of the mining materials. Well, with PP 26/2023, mining on Rupat Island was not allowed forever because at that location it was impossible to set it as a sediment location because it was the outermost small islands protected", said Adin.