- A newly published report by Indonesia’s human rights commission, Komnas HAM, includes new evidence of environmental and public health harms caused by the nickel mining industry in eastern Indonesia.
- Mongabay Indonesia has previously reported on increases in respiratory disease recorded by health workers in a community alongside the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park in North Maluku province.
- The Komnas HAM human rights report also includes data showing high rates of respiratory disease around the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park in Central Sulawesi province.
- A separate report published by a labor nonprofit focusing on interviews with workers showed many knew of colleagues who had died suddenly, while reports of suicide were common.
HALMAHERA, Indonesia — New research examining Indonesia’s vast nickel-processing regions has documented rising rates of ill health and workplace harm linked to a key industry supplying the global energy transition.
A report published in April by Indonesia’s human rights commission, known as Komnas HAM, cited Central Sulawesi provincial health data showing respiratory infections reached 305,191 diagnoses in 2024, a 26% increase over the 262,160 cases recorded in 2023.
In the Central Sulawesi district of Morowali, home to Southeast Asia’s largest nickel processing estate, the PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), the number of respiratory infections diagnosed in 2024 was 57,190.
“Communities living near mining and smelter areas are at higher risk due to exposure to dust and emissions from production processes,” said Uli Parulian Sihombing, a coordinator at Komnas HAM.
The rights commission called for greater state intervention to uphold rights in and around Central Sulawesi’s nickel processing estates.
“Based on these findings, this study concludes that the state has failed to guarantee protection of human rights in the nickel mining and processing sector,” the Komnas HAM report concluded.
The report also noted the increase in deforestation recorded on Central Sulawesi tied to the booming mining sector.
“This situation is exacerbated by massive ecological damage that has led to a health crisis for communities in Morowali and North Morowali districts,” the Komnas HAM report added, referring to the two districts most affected in Central Sulawesi province.
Workers at the smelting hub face long working weeks in sweltering temperatures, while many sleep in facilities exposed to significant air pollution and patchy access to health care.
The Komnas HAM report notes that each company in the Morowali industrial estate has only one clinic providing primary care for minor health conditions for around 90,000 workers.
“The limited emergency facilities within industrial areas increase the risk of death for workers,” Uli said.
Nikasi Ginting, chair of the Mining and Energy Federation, a trade union, said many workers sleep in dormitories that are just 50 meters (about 160 feet) from smokestacks at the industrial estate.
“Community rights and the guarantee of a healthy environment must remain paramount, not simply exploitation and prioritizing economic gain alone,” Nikasi said.
Two deadly landslides since 2025 are among a series of workplace accidents at IMIP that labor groups say reflect weak safety standards and lax supervision.
The Komnas HAM report recommended stronger protections for workers and communities impacted by Indonesia’s nickel sector, including stronger environmental and labor inspections, robust mine safety enforcement, and access to industrial relations courts.
The report also called on companies and investors to uphold fair wages and safe working conditions, while encouraging civil society organizations to continue independent oversight of the sector.
Yuli Adiratna, inspection director at Indonesia’s labor ministry, said the ministry would assess the findings of the report.
Weda Bay
A separate labor rights report based on a small number of worker interviews at another smelting estate, Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) in North Maluku province, documented recurring anecdotal accounts of unexplained deaths and self-harm.
Among 23 workers interviewed, 19 said they had heard of a coworker dying suddenly, while two said they had witnessed such incidents firsthand, with deaths typically involving workers aged 26 to 35.
Workers in smelters and plant operations commonly work 12-hour rotating day and night shifts, often totaling around 60 hours a week — exceeding the 55-hour threshold that studies by the World Health Organization and International Labour Organization associate with elevated health risks.
Researchers said the pattern pointed to a broader workplace problem rather than isolated cases.
“Stories of sudden deaths are quite common among workers,” said Azhar Irfansyah, a researcher at Sembada Bersama Indonesia.
Last year, Mongabay Indonesia reported from Lelilef Sawai, a village adjacent to IWIP, where the number of people diagnosed with respiratory disease jumped from 434 cases in 2020 to 10,579 in 2023.
IWIP and IMIP could not be reached for comment.
Banner image: A PT IWIP worker walks through the cafeteria after work in early July 2025. Image by Achmad Rizki Muazam/Mongabay Indonesia.
This story was first published here and here in Indonesian on May 1 and May 8, 2026.
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