Operations officially start at the Ertzberg copper and gold mine in West Papua. Waste from the mine is dumped directly into the Ajkwa River, causing damage all the way down to the sea and along the coast. This continues into the present with around 200,000 tonnes of waste being dumped into the river every day. Local people speak of deaths caused by drinking water that has been poisoned by the mine.
The Grasberg / Nemangkawi mine is noticeably absent from Rio Tinto’s own timeline, including its toxic waste dumping which pollutes the environment and has detrimental impacts on people’s health and livelihoods.
Cut and Run report by LMN