A population of orangutans in the Batang Toru forest of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island was considered as Sumatran orangutangs. However, they were found to be entirely new species in 2017, which were named Tapanuli orangutans.
However, the already critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans are now on the verge of being extinct due to the construction of a hydel dam, which is planned under China’s Belt RoadInitiative (BRI). There has been opposition from scientists, conservationists and environmental activists to the project, which they said would cause fragmentation of the Batang Toru Forest, which is one of the most biodiverse spots in Indonesia, leading to the extinction of rare and critical endangered species such as Sumatran tigers and Sunda pangolin along with Tapanuli orangutans.
Many such BRI projects in Indonesia are allegedly being constructed by tweaking and violating environmental norms, which are leading to a huge loss of biodiversity. These include a zinc mine in northern Sumatra, theJakarta-Bandung High-Speed Rail, the Morowali Industrial Park, the Probolinggo-Banyuwangi highway. Despite protests against environmental destruction these projects augured, the Chinese companies are going ahead with their implementation. It is in disagreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s message that the BRI project should be green and sustainable.
The Zinc mine is planned in the mountainous region of Sumatra Island, which comes in a seismically danger zone. Dairi Prima Mineral (DPM), in which Chinese state-owned China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group owns
majority stakes, has decided to build USD 630 million mine project within hundred metres of the nearest village— Sopokomil and Parongil.
According to experts, the waste slurry from the mine will have disastrous effects such as engulfing villagers, polluting rivers with toxins and rendering a serious negative impact on the eco-sensitive forest.
According to an independent study by Japanese and Indonesian geologists, the mining activities will lead to acidity and metal contamination in the water body and adjacent soils. “In addition, althoughthese pollutants are discharged to the environments during mining stage, their effects could extend for centuries post-mine closure,” the study warned. The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, a World Bank watchdog,now has accepted a formal complaint against the mining project by the affected people.
Similarly, China’s Tsingshan Group is building USD 700 million nickel- based processing plants at the Morowali Industrial Park under the BRI scheme. This project too is expected to pose a grave threat to the rich
marine life in Indonesia’s seas.
Indonesian people have concerns about the ways Chinese companies operate as they hardly care about rules and standards. Most Chinese-funded projects lacked environmentalsafeguards and most smelters built by China in Indonesia used old, highly polluting technology, said Dwi Sawung from the non-profit Indonesian
Forum for the Environment (Walhi). “So they dump their old technology here, which is no longer suitable in terms of the environment,” he said.
The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Rail project too grappled with controversies due to poor management and environmental concerns, which have caused floods too. The project has stuck after five years as itsconstruction activities have led to forced evictions, flooded roads, damaged houses and farmland, mass protests, along with massive budget overruns. The rail project has violated at least six Indonesian
laws.
The public perception is getting stronger against the project. Environmentalists said implementing Chinese company “blatantly ignored major red flags related to the project’s design, sustainability, and legal compliance”.
Similarly, the Probolinggo-Banyuwangi highway has raised concern since it has been built on the Wonorejo fault which is an active fault, according to the Seismic Hazard Maps of Indonesia. China Communications Construction Indonesia (CCCI) was the contractor of the USD 165 million highway project.
The BRI projects have raised socio-economic concerns. The Batang Toru Hydroelectric Powerplant project has been termed the “riskiest environmental project in history” by scientists. “In the last two decades
I’ve seen countless examples of aggressive and even predatory exploitation by Chinese firms, especially in developing nations with weak environmental controls,” said Professor William Laurance of director of
the Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science at the James Cook University.
The hydropower project is being built by China’s Sinohydro Corporation Limited. Scientists from across the world have written to Indonesian President Joko Widodo seeking protection of Batang
Toru.They said the Chinese BRI-led hydro-project could be the death knell for the Tapanuli orangutan.
