Dongi Resettlement

Before the 1950s, the To Karunsi'e Dongi tribe lived in the Sorowako, East Luwu, and surrounding areas. This tribe lives side by side with other communities in Sorowako village. In the 1950s, the DI/TII rebellion erupted, which resulted in the Dongi people being forced to leave the region and flee to safer areas around Central and Southeast Sulawesi. They found that the area had been turned into a particular operational area for the company, following the Contract of Work document, which was ratified in 1968. As a result, there was a controversy about land ownership in the Sorowako area between PT Vale and the Dongi community.

To solve this polemic, the government issued the East Luwu Regent's Decree Number 166 of 2004. In this decree, the names of the family heads of the Dongi community are listed who are entitled to receive a settlement following their demands. The number determined is 57 heads of families. As stipulated in the Minutes of Agreement Number BA/P2P/IV/2008 concerning the Implementation of Special Mining Area Development in East Luwu, PT Vale is committed to carrying out its roles and responsibilities by the company's work plan, policies, and budget as well as based on statutory regulations.

The resettlement location for the Dongi community continues to be a zone of uncontrolled growth with the influx of other Sorowako residents, including immigrants. This fact allows new problems such as deforestation for agriculture and the construction of houses has damaged the environment, increasing the risk of fires and landslides. Illegal actions such as connecting electricity networks without permission and ignoring safety standards are also increasingly widespread and based on the Decree (SK) of the Regent of East Luwu Number 138/A-01/IV/Year 2020, the location of the Sorowako Camping Grounds has been designated as a Limited Temporary Settlement Location.
Following the company's value of carrying out open and transparent dialogue, PT Vale deliberates and collaborates with the government, community, and To Karunsi'e traditional institutions, intending to find solutions to ensure a comprehensive, fair, and sustainable resolution. This commitment is reflected in a number of agreements, such as,

Minutes of Agreement Number BA/P2P/IV/2008 concerning the Implementation of Special Mining Area Development in East Luwu, South Sulawesi Province. This agreement was signed by three parties, namely the Ministry of Public Housing of the Republic of Indonesia, the Regional Government of East Luwu Regency, and PT Inco (later PT Inco transformed to PT Vale Indonesia Tbk). These minutes detail the contributions of each party.
Coordination Meeting and Socialization of the Dongi Community Infrastructure and Economic Development Program, which was held on Tuesday, April 21, 2020.
Minutes of the Agreement on the Implementation of Infrastructure and Economic Development of the Community Development and Empowerment Program (PPM) in Dongi Village, Ledu-ledu Village, which was agreed on January 15, 2021.

All stakeholders have approved the solution to place the Dongi community in settlements in Ledu-Ledu Village under mutual agreement. After identifying the problems, the collaboration between the company and stakeholders continued by assessing the regional potential and needs of the Dongi Community. Finally, PT Vale, together with the community, developed priority programs for economic and infrastructure development to increase the welfare and independence of the community in its new residential location. This initiative includes infrastructure development, herbal plant cultivation programs, vegetables, fisheries, as well as herbal-based Community Resource Health Effort (UKBM) programs.

Impact to Community Wellbeing:

PT Vale carried out resettlement efforts and support for community independence with number of achievements, including:

  • Infrastructure development in the form of church renovations was carried out in 2019 to improve the worship experience, promote socio-religious activities, and foster a greater sense of community.

  • PT Vale is also carrying out concrete infrastructure development that touches the community, renovating 57 residential units with good sanitation. The company carried out this project in the 2020-2023.

  • The company also supports community mobility and connectivity. During 2021-2022, PT Vale has developed 1,400 meters of road access.

  • To mitigate the risk of flooding and increase road resilience, in 2022, the company will also build a 1,800-meter-long road drainage system.

  • In 2023, PT is constructing a network of pipes to deliver clean water in residential areas. This program is ongoing and is expected to be completed by 2024.The program aims to provide clean water and easy access to water services for approximately 300 residents of Dongi.

Impact on Economics:

Foto: Vale Indonesia

SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
1.1 By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day

SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
2.3 By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment 
2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivityproductivit y and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality

SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
3.8 Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all

SDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
6.2 By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.b Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

SDG 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
8.2 Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and laborlabour-intensive sectors

SDG 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
9.1 Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all
9.4 By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities

SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
11.1 By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

  • Principle 3.2 Avoid the involuntary physical or economic displacement of families and communities. Where this is not possible, applypossible apply the mitigation hierarchy and implement actions or remedies that address residual adverse eects to restore or improve livelihoods and standards of living of displaced people.

  • Principle 3.6 Respect the rights, interests, aspirations, culture and natural resource-based livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples in project design, development and operation; apply the mitigation hierarchy to address adverse impacts and; deliver sustainable benefitsbenefi ts for Indigenous Peoples.

  • Principle 3.7 Work to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples where significantsignifi cant adverse impacts are likely to occur, as a result of relocation, disturbance of lands and territories or of critical cultural heritage, and capture the outcomes of engagement and consent processes in agreements.

  • Principle 9.1 Implement inclusive approaches with local communities to identify their development priorities and support activities that contribute to their lasting social and economic wellbeing in partnership with government, civil society and development agencies, as appropriate.

Foto: Vale Indonesia