Batangtoru, 18 November 2023 – PT Agincourt Resources (PTAR), the operator of Martabe Gold Mine initiated Clean Environment Action together with hundreds of people in three villages in Batangtoru District, South Tapanuli, Saturday (18/11). Several activities carried out simultaneously in Garoga Village, Aek Ngadol Village, and Batu Horing Village were cleaning up the rubbish on the riverbank, planting 150 tree seedlings in the watershed, disseminating organic waste composting, and handing over 100 composting bags to the community.
According to PTAR Environment, Health, & Safety Senior Manager, Hari Ananto, Clean Environment Action carried out in commemorating Indonesian Tree Planting Day aimed to raise awareness about environmental conservation of the community around the operational area, such as by caring for the rivers and utilizing organic waste as compost.
“We engage hundreds of people, village officials, and young environmental ambassadors fostered by the company to plant the trees and clean up the environment collectively. According to the study, 1 tree can produce the amound of oxygen needed by 2 people meaning that we can also reap positive benefits from conserving the environment.” he said.
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In addition to being in close proximity to PTAR operational area, Hari continued, the three villages were chosen as the locations for the activities because they met the requirements for being the candidates for Proklim (Climate Village Program) villages assisted by PTAR.
One hundred and fifty seedlings distributed consisted of rain trees (trembesi), cassia trees (johar), mangosteen trees (manggis), durian trees, jackfruit trees (nangka), jotik jotik trees, and meranti trees seeded in PTAR Nursery area. The seedlings will be distributed to the representatives of the community appointed by the village head.
It is expected that the 100 composting bags distributed can encourage people to utilize organic waste in producing compost for the activities of agriculture and plantation.
Hari also added that environmental conservation is one of PTAR’s commitments in carrying out its business activities.
“In 2023, PTAR had planted 8,510 tree seedlings within its operational area and 1,200 seedlings of native plants, as well as 30,000 mangrove seedlings outside its operational area. The total number of trees planted by PTAR from 2012 to October 2023 were 90,305 seedlings with the potential carbon absorption of 22,453 tonnes of CO2e,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the representative of Aek Ngadol Village, Abdurrahman Situmorang, positively responded to the implementation of Clean Environment Action organized by PTAR. According to him, apart from assisting in greening the village environment, the community also gained new knowledge of organic waste utilization and composting techniques.
“Hopefully, these activities will benefit us and the environment. If the environment is clean and well-maintained, the community will certainly be healthy and prosperous as well. We hope that PTAR continues these positive programs,” he concluded.
