Key Points:

• Local communities have for years been working to stop the Dairi Prima Mineral (DPM) mine in North Sumatra, which poses extreme risk to surrounding villages and the environment.
• A waste storage facility, or tailings dam, to be constructed at the site is of particular concern—mining experts say it is almost certain to fail, which could unleash more than 1 million tons of mud and toxic waste on nearby villages.
• Threatened communities challenged an environmental permit for the mine granted by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry and took their case to the Supreme Court.
• On 12 August 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the communities, concluding that in providing the permit, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry had failed to implement good governance, that community consultation was inadequate, and that the environmental approval must be revoked.

Indonesia’s Supreme Court has ruled in favor of communities in North Sumatra who have for years been fighting to stop development of the Dairi Prima Mineral mine, which independent international experts have deemed a disaster waiting to happen. A waste storage facility, or tailings dam, to be constructed at the site is of particular concern—mining experts say it is almost certain to fail, which could unleash more than 1 million tons of mud and toxic waste on nearby villages.

[...]

Cautious Optimism

The court’s decision is a source of hope for the plaintiffs in this case and the communities affected by the mine. However, the DPM have promised to appeal the decision and say that they will continue moving forward with mine development despite the ruling. Communities were also devastated to learn just months ago that a Chinese state-controlled corporation had announced that it would provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to help the project move forward, even as their legal challenge was before the Supreme Court. It remains to be seen how project financiers and investors respond to the recent ruling, which should give them pause.

[...]