At PTFI and TFM, illegal artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) operate in the mining concession or project areas. In both cases, most of the people working as ASM are outsiders who have migrated into the area. They have limited equipment and expertise at operating in hazardous conditions and have the potential to create environmental risks, as well as placing their own health and safety at risk. At TFM, artisanal miners dig for cobalt and copper found in surface seams of high-grade mineralization in ore bodies scheduled to be mined by TFM in the future, while at PTFI they are sluicing and panning for gold in a number of river drainages, including the controlled riverine tailings management system.

In addition to the health risk associated with ASM, PTFI has also identified increasing conflict between the ASM and people who support this complex network of activities. In 2011, PTFI retained a team of experts from Atma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta, who have done extensive social baseline work in Papua, to conduct a comprehensive social baseline study of the ASM and the supporting networks. The Atma Jaya team is gathering information through observations, interviews and surveys. The study started in the highlands area and mapped out key landowners, community leaders within the ASM, as well as all aspects of the support operations around the ASM activities. In 2011, the study team completed their highlands field work and began to review the lowlands. The comprehensive study is planned to be completed in 2012 along with increasing engagement with key stakeholders identified by Atma Jaya.

PTFI regularly monitors for mercury use through routine environmental monitoring programs, and mercury has not been detected above natural background levels in the river ecosystem. However, mercury use has been identified in Timika at certain gold shops, and PTFI has engaged with authorities to encourage them to work with operators to discontinue this risky practice.

The greatest risks regarding artisanal mining activities in the DRC are both safety and security issues. Illegal miners dig underground adits and tunnels to access ore deposits, and working conditions are unstable and unsafe. Artisanal miners on the TFM concession do not use protective gear, and soil conditions during the rainy season make artisanal mining activities treacherous. In 2011, two illegal miners were killed after being trapped in a cave on the TFM concession. An illegal miner also was killed in a landslide near Fungurume. In both cases response operations were conducted by the local authorities with TFM providing manpower and logistics support.

BACK TO TOP