Heavy rainfalls accompanied by strong winds struck Bahodopi Sub-district in Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi, on Sunday night, March 17, 2025 triggering severe floods in Lalampu and Labota villages, collapsing a number of electricity poles, and forcing residents to evacuate their homes.

According to the Central Sulawesi chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the floods were not solely caused by heavy rainfalls, but were also closely linked to extensive nickel mining activities that have destroyed rainforests in the upstream areas. 

WALHI’s findings revealed that there are 17 active nickel mining permits in Lalampu Village alone.

Data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) in May 2024 indicated that one of the largest mining concessions in the area, covering 20,765 hectares, belongs to Bintang Delapan Mineral (BDM), a major ore supplier to the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP). Mining activities in the region extend across several villages, including Bahomoahi, Bahomotefe, Lalampu, Lele, Dampala, Siumbatu, Bahodopi, Keurea, and Fatufia.

Wandi, Campaign Manager for Walhi Central Sulawesi, highlighted that frequent flooding in Morowali, particularly in Bahodopi Sub-district, is an ecological disaster linked to unregulated nickel mining. 

“The massive expansion of nickel mining is causing ecological imbalances and reducing environmental resilience,” Wandi said as quoted in a statement on Tuesday, March 19, 2025.

The surge in nickel mining in Morowali is a direct result of the government’s downstream industrialization policy. Currently, 65 mining business permits (IUPs) for production operations have been issued, covering a total of 155,051 hectares.

Walhi Central Sulawesi asked the Morowali Regency Administration, the Central Sulawesi Provincial Administration, and the central government to take immediate action. They called for a moratorium and thorough evaluation of all mining activities in Morowali’s mountainous areas, citing the environmental degradation and repeated disasters affecting local communities.

“The government should not only focus on the economic benefits of nickel mining, but also seriously review the environmental destruction caused by these operations,” Wandi emphasized. 

He noted that this was not the first such disaster in Morowali, recalling a similar flood with mudslides in Labota Village at the end of 2024.

In response to the crisis, WALHI has demanded that the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) enforce stricter environmental protection laws, particularly Law No. 32/2009 on Environmental Protection and Management, which mandates strict oversight and sanctions for environmental violators.