"Harita Nickel and Heavy Metals Contamination in Obi" 17 November 2025

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Villagers worry not only about dwindling catches but also about whether the seafood they do find is safe to eat. A few months ago, a resident caught a red grouper whose flesh was speckled with black spots. The fish was thrown away, deemed unsafe. Last year, hundreds of dead fish washed ashore along the village’s coastline.

Villagers suspect these changes are linked to the operations of Trimegah Bangun Persada, or Harita Nickel, which began operating on Obi in 2010...

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As scrutiny grows, Harita is awaiting the results of an audit by the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance. The review is a voluntary third-party assessment of whether the company’s mining practices meet global standards...

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In a statement issued on April 16, 2025, Harita described the audit as proof of its commitment to transparency on human rights, environmental management, and community grievance mechanisms...

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But that claim contradicts residents’ experiences. Since the smelter went fully operational, the waters off Kawasi have turned a muddy brown, thick with sediment. Villagers say the sediment comes from upstream mining areas, carried by rainwater through the Akelamo and Toduku rivers and their tributaries before flowing into the sea.

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A JOINT investigation by Tempo, The Gecko Project, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project into several scientific studies reinforces the indication of heavy metal contamination around Kawasi.

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A 2020 study by Muhammad Aris and Tamrin of Khairun University in Ternate, North Maluku, found significant increases in heavy metal concentrations in Obi’s waters and marine organisms...

The highest concentrations, according to Aris and Tamrin, were found in Kawasi, the site closest to the mining operations...

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In 2022, Harita reportedly requested a peer review of Aris’ research from IPB University in West Java. Harita sent letter No. 033/HPL/II/2022, and the university’s Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences appointed Etty Riani, a professor in the Department of Aquatic Resource Management, to conduct the review as an ecotoxicology expert.

Internal documents reviewed by Tempo show that Harita funded Etty’s travel to Ternate and Obi three times in 2022, in February, April, and October. The documents state that the costs were covered by a Harita subsidiary, Halmahera Persada Lygend...

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Harita, however, denies asking IPB to conduct any research. In a written statement on Friday, November 14, 2025, Harita’s Head of Corporate Communications, Haviez Gautama, said the company never commissioned any research in 2022...

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ALTHOUGH Harita Nickel and Etty Riani deny that her study was “commissioned” by the company, Tempo reviewed copies of documents showing that Etty sent her research results to Harita in June 2022. Her analysis of marine organisms, in fact, confirmed the presence of heavy metal contamination.

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Her findings drew a response from company officials. In an email dated July 14, 2022, reviewed by Tempo, Harita’s marine environmental manager advised that Etty’s full report be treated as strictly internal...

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The Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) criticized the corporate move in an article titled The Trail of Harita Group’s Crimes Behind the IPO, which cited heavy metal findings from the research of Muhammad Aris. Jatam also sent letters to the Indonesia Stock Exchange and the Financial Services Authority (OJK), arguing that Harita did not truthfully disclose its environmental problems, including marine pollution and heavy metal contamination in Kawasi.

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Responding to the allegations, Haviez Gautama said the company has fulfilled its disclosure obligations in accordance with regulations. Regarding scientific studies on Obi’s environmental condition, Harita referred to the 2022 IPB research, namely Etty’s report published in March 2023. “As far as we know, that was the only recent independent scientific study published before the IPO,” he said.