Indonesia's Environment Minister Balthazar Kambuaya signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury on Thursday, joining in the global efforts to prevent the repetition of humanity tragedy caused by mercury pollution in Japan's Minamata Bay.

The Minamata Convention regulates any activities using mercury, including trade, product and production process, usage in minor gold mines, mercury waste management and transfer of technology.

"Minamata disease may occur anywhere in the world, including Indonesia. It's about the time for the nation to pay more attention to this issue of reckless use of mercury. Indonesia must reduce, or even has to totally scrap the use of mercury from any production activities in the country, including those used rampantly in small gold mines," the minister said in a statement.

Diseases generated from mercury pollution are real, and should there be no effort to address it, Indonesia may face occurrence of the diseases within ten to fifteen years to come, he added.

Indonesia sees rampant operation of small gold mines that extensively use mercury.

The minister said that so far there has no report on people affected by mercury pollution in Indonesia and the signing of the convention is the government's responsibility for protecting its people.

Related

• Minamata Convention on mercury damage prevention adopted in Japan

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)