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Barges loaded with mountains of coal glide down the polluted Mahakam River on Indonesian Borneo every few minutes. Viewed from above, they form a dotted black line as far as the eye can see, destined for power stations in China and India.
A coal rush that has drawn international miners to East Kalimantan province has ravaged the capital, Samarinda, which risks being swallowed up by mining if the exploitation of its deposits expands any further.
Mines occupy more than 70% of Samarinda, government data show, forcing entire villages and schools to move away from toxic mudslides and contaminated water sources. The destruction of forest around the city to make way for mines has also removed a natural buffer against floods, leading to frequent waist-high deluges during the six-month rainy season.
And despite the 200 million tonnes of coal dug and shipped out of East Kalimantan each year, its capital is crippled by frequent hours-long blackouts as the city’s ageing power plant suffers constant problems.
Farmer Komari, who goes by one name, has lived in a corner of Samarinda half an hour from the city centre since 1985 and used to get by growing small amounts of rice and breeding fish.
But the mines have poisoned the water used in his fields and small ponds, he says.
“The rice is basically grown in poisonous water,” said the 70-year-old, standing among his paddies, ankle-deep in brown sludge near the bare, one-room wooden shack where he lives with his wife.
“We still eat it but I think it’s pretty bad for us,” he says, adding that the water makes his skin itch.
Along with 18 other farmers, Komari has filed a civil suit against government officials, blaming them for contaminating their water sources and allowing rampant mining.
They are not seeking compensation, instead asking the government to oblige a coal company next to their homes to decontaminate the water and provide health services.
Udin, who owns and drives a rental car and was born in Samarinda 30 years ago, said the city today has been transformed.
“When I was kid, my home was a jungle with orangutans and so many different colourful birds. But now it is bleak,” he said.
According to Jatam, a group representing communities affected by mining across Indonesia, the root of the problem is obvious — local officials have been lining their pockets with bribes from companies in exchange for granting them permits to mine.
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