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To restore the former mining activities, the government is targeting to carry out a 7,000 hectare mine reclamation in 2019. This number increased dramatically compared to 2014 which reached 6,597 hectares.

"Mining reclamation activities have increased in the last 5 years. That of an area of ​​6,597 hectares in 2014 increased to an area of ​​6,950 hectares in 2018. In 2019 this is expected to reach more than 7,000 hectares, "said Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Ego Syahrial, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Energy and the Environment Life and Forestry (LHK) in the Coordination Meeting on Forest Reclamation and Watershed Rehabilitation in Jakarta, Tuesday (23/4).

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said that the government had issued Government Regulation Number 78 of 2010 concerning Post-Mining Reclamation and Regulation of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Number 26 of 2018 concerning the Implementation of Good Mining Practices and Mineral and Coal Mining Supervision.

Post mining activities, explained Ego, aim to complete environmental and social recovery activities at the time the mine ends with the main focus of the community's socio-economic sustainability.

"Mining activities in addition to providing benefits certainly also have an impact on the environment so that efforts are needed to minimize them, for example by reclaiming mines after mining activities. This should be our focus together, "said Ego.

Besides aiming to prevent erosion or reduce runoff water, according to the Ego, reclamation to keep the land to become more stable and of course to make the land more productive.

He said, the obligation of post-mining reclamation is attached to the holder of a mining business permit (IUP), then the IUP holder is obliged to place collateral by not eliminating the obligation to reclamate and post-mine.

Post-mining activities, continued ESDM Ministry Secretary General Ego Syahrial, aim to complete environmental and social recovery activities at the time the mine ends with the main focus of the community's socio-economic sustainability.

"Reclamation activities are expected to produce added value for the environment and create better conditions than before mining activities," said Ego.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (LHK), Bambang Hendroyono revealed, forest reclamation and rehabilitation of watersheds as an effort to rehabilitate forests and land are part of the watershed recovery.

"Forest reclamation must be carried out by holders of Borrowing Use Forest Areas (IPPKH) in disturbed forest areas (on-site). While the obligation of watershed rehabilitation is planting activities on the location of critical land both inside and outside the forest area that is outside the IPPKH (off-site) area, "Bambang said.

According to Bambang, efforts to restore watersheds through the Forest and Land Rehabilitation (RHL) program in 2019 are one of the National Priority programs that require real success at the site level, and it is hoped that the IPPKH Forest Reclamation and Watershed Rehabilitation activities can be carried out on time and according to the provisions . (min ESDM )