"Nickel Waste Floods Homes in Indonesia, Sparking Protests", Earthworks, 27 June 2025

From June 10 to 13, 2025, heavy rainfall hit Obi Island in Indonesia. As a result, muddy floods submerged three villages on the Island where one of the largest nickel mining companies in Indonesia, Harita Group, has been operating.

In nearby Kawasi Village, the flood caused residential areas to be engulfed by muddy water levels of about 50 centimeters. A sediment pond built by the company to collect run-off and sediment from nickel mining and refining operations was breached, contributing to the flood. The materials entered the Todoku River, which also overflowed and flooded the residents’ settlement.

[...] starting in 2012, company executives were aware that water running off of Harita’s mines contained Chromium-6 persistently over the legal limit, from 155% to 240% at different points. Their reporting shows that the addition of a high-pressure acid leach refinery to produce EV battery-grade nickel likely exacerbated the ongoing chromium-6 problem.

Now, the infrastructure intended to absorb and prevent contamination has also failed. Water and mud, likely containing toxic heavy metals and chemicals, is flooding people’s homes, crops, and water sources and is flowing into the river and turning the sea red.

Residents of Kawasi Village are calling on Harita Group to immediately:

• Fix the infrastructure and homes damaged by the flood from the breach of the sediment pond.
• Address root causes of ongoing infrastructure and waste management failures to prevent future disasters that threaten the health and safety of residents, clean water, and coastal ecosystems.
• Provide a written statement about plans to restore electricity and clean water. Residents have been asking the company to address these longstanding issues for years, long before the breach.