Cementing Lies in North Kendeng

Cranes can be seen working on a tall, reinforced concrete building in Kadiwono village, Rembang, Central Java. They belong to Semen Indonesia, a state-owned company formerly called Semen Gresik. When completed, the factory will process millions of tons of limestone and generate approximately Rp3 trillion each year.Far from the din of engines and construction, at a roadside near the entrance to the 57-hectare factory area, a group of women are gathered around a makeshift blue tent. The tent is covered in posters bearing slogans opposing the establishment of the factory: 'Reject the Cement Factory', 'When Mining Crimes Spread, the President Must Take a Side'. "We are going to stay here until construction of the factory is called off," said Murwati, 39, a resident of Timbrangan village, Gunem subdistrict. Since June 16 last year, she and other residents of Rembang rejecting the factory, mostly women, have taken turns keeping watch. Residents in the North Kendeng Mountains are concerned that mining in the karst-dense area will destroy the environment and destroy the underground springs. "Nearly everyone here farms. How will they live if the groundwater is damaged?" said Joko Prianto, a resident of Tegaldowo village, Gunem subdistrict, and one of the leaders of the opposition movement. Together with the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), he filed a lawsuit against the mine with the Semarang State Administrative Court (PTUN). Last April, the panel of judges ruled against them.

September 8, 2015