Study of Heavy Metal Mercury (Hg) of River Sediment in People’s

Mining Area at Hutabargot Julu District of Mandailing Natal

Regency North Sumatera

Dewi Widiastuti

, Zulkifli Nasution

, Rikson Siburian

Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia.

Department Of Agriculture Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia..

Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia.

Keywords: Mercury, River Sediment, Peoples’s Mining

Abstract: The purpose of this research is to know the potential of waste pollution and mercury (Hg) content in river

sediment, due to the existence of Unlicensed Gold Mining effect in Sub-District of Hutabargot Julu of

Mandailing Natal Regency North Sumatra, with the standard for Hg in sediment (guideline value 0.15 –

SQG High 1.0 ppm) based on sediment guidance issued by the Australian Convergence of the Australian

And New Zealand (ANZECC / ARMCANZ) Sediment Quality Guidelines may 2013. Sampling consists of

3 points, for point 1 in upstream (0,10 ppm) and point 2 in Aek Simalagi / mid (0,113 ppm) and point 3 in

estuary (0,125ppm). This research method uses descriptive method. The research variable is the content of

heavy metals Mercury (Hg) in river sediments. Mercury Analysis (Hg) using Mercury Analyzer. The results

showed that the heavy metal content of mercury (Hg) in river sediments was still below the thresholds set

by (ANZECC / ARMCANZ).

1 INTRODUCTION

People's mines or unlicensed gold mining has been

since 2009 ago. However, in 2010 the gold mine in

Hutabargot was increasingly well-known after

several holes (gold excavation) were 'exploded' or

had large yields in the Sarahan area, Hutabargot Julu

Village, Hutabargot District.

The way the miners in Hutabargot Julu Village

are still traditionally, where the mining process is by

digging a hole using a hammer and chisel. All the

rock results they carve will be transported out of the

hole by using burlap (sack) and using human power.

After that, will be taken to the processing site to be

extarakated. The extraction process they are doing is

still very traditional with amalgamation technology,

namely the gold extraction process by mixing rock

that has been made into sand with mercury (Hg) and

which is carried out in the gelundung.

Amalgamation methods can affect environmental

conditions. Gold processing by amalgamation

method can cause mercury contamination (Hg) and

other heavy metals that have the potential to cause

environmental impact and dangerous to the health of

the community around the mine site.

Health problems have begun to emerge in

Hutabargot Julu Village. According to Mursidah (38

years) one of the people of Julu Hutabargot, the last

3 years there are three pregnant women who gave

birth to the condition of children with total disability

and the child does not survive. It is known that the

work of the parents is a mine worker as a stone

pounder, a mining pit digger and a teacher. There

were also cases of children born with cleft lip

conditions. There are indications that the case has

something to do with mining activities.

Galundung activity is found in densely populated

urban settlements of Panyabungan areas. Waste

disposal of Galundung into the tailings to flow into

the river and surrounding rice fields poses a serious

threat to the surrounding people, livestock and

agricultural lands. Therefore, the researcher is

interested to conduct rese arch on "Study of Heavy

Metals Weight of Mercury (Hg) in River Sediments

In People's Mining Area In Hutabargot Sub-district,

Mandailing Natal Regency of Sumatera". This

research is focused on the body of the river Aek

104

Widiastuti, D., Nasution, Z. and Siburian, R.

Study of Heavy Metal Mercury (Hg) of River Sediment in People’s Mining Area at Hutabargot Julu District of Mandailing Natal Regency North Sumatera.

DOI: 10.5220/0009898300002480

In Proceedings of the International Conference on Natural Resources and Sustainable Development (ICNRSD 2018), pages 104-106

ISBN: 978-989-758-543-2

Simalagi because many found gelundung process on

the edge of the river.

2 METHODOLOGY

This type of research is an observational research,

with research design using cross sectional,

researcher do observation. In this study no

intervention was made on nature.

Analysis of the data obtained from the results of

the study using qualitative descriptive analysis. That

is knowing the potential of mercury waste pollution

(Hg) in sediment of Aek Simalagi river due to the

existence of traditional gold mining in Mandailing

Natal Regency based on

Australian And New Zealand

Environment And Concervation Council/Agricultural And

Resource Management of Australian And New Zealand

(ANZECC / ARMCANZ). Mercury

analysis uses the

Mercury Analyzer Method.

3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Mercury Concentrate

The results of the analysis of mercury concentration

in the sediment of the Aek Simalagi river in 3

sampling locations are presented in Table 1 below.

Of the three sampling sites, the highest mercury

content was found in the sediment samples in the

estuary, which was 0.125 ppm dry weight and the

lowest was in the upstream sediment sample, which

was 0.10, in the middle of the Aek Simalagi river

which was 0.113 ppm dry weight.

Table 1.1: Results of Hg quality checks in sediment of

Aek Simalagi river

Sample Type : Sedimen

Location : Aek Simalagi

Based On : ANZECC/ARMCANZ

Metode Specification : USEPA 3050B/USEPA245.7

Point

UTM

Quality

Std

Res.

E N ppm

ppm

Before

Amalga-

mation

554568 95948

0,15 –

1,0

0,10

Near

Amalga-

mation

555846 97044

0,15 –

1,0

0,11

3 Estuary 558036 99194

0,15 –

1,0

0,12

Data on mercury (Hg) content in the Aek Simalagi

River sediment is displayed in graphical form to

make it clearer the difference in mercury

concentration (Hg) between the three sample points.

Following are Graph 1.1. which shows the level of

mercury contamination in the Aek Simalagi river.

Figure 1: Results Mercury Measurement in Aek Simalagi

River

From these data, it is known that mercury levels in

the Aek Simalagi river sediment are still below the

quality standard based on ANZECC / ARMCANZ.

It was seen that the concentration of mercury (Hg) in

sediments in the Hutabargot river and its

surroundings at the mouth of the tributary was

greater than the sediment concentration in the

upstream and in the middle. This is due to the large

number of PETI activities in the village or in the

middle of the creek so that the concentration of

mercury in the middle and estuary is higher. But the

diagram still shows the presence of mercury in both

upstream, middle and estuary. It is estimated that the

existing mercury is an impact of the drum used in

gold processing using mercury.

Gold processing with amalgamation techniques

has caused river sediment contamination. Sediments

that have been contaminated by mercury have the

potential to cause negative and dangerous

environmental impacts for the people living around

the river.

River sediment contamination by mercury

around the area of the people's gold mines is directly

related to the process of gold processing by means of

amalgamation where metal sulfide minerals, along

with metal mercury are wasted as a fine mixture of

tailing material.

Although the mercury level is still below the

maximum threshold, it can also add to the existing

mercury concentration due to ongoing activities but

no effort has been made to manage waste rock

contaminated by mercury.

upstream Mid Estuary

QualityStandart

0,15 0,15 0,15

Maksimum

111

Result

0,1 0,113 0,125

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

1,2

Study of Heavy Metal Mercury (Hg) of River Sediment in People’s Mining Area at Hutabargot Julu District of Mandailing Natal Regency

North Sumatera

105

Figure 2: Sampling Sediment Map

4 CONCLUSIONS

The mercury concentration in sediment of Aek

Simalagi River is before amalgamation process of

0,10, near of amalgamation process of 0,113 ppm

dry weight and estuary of 0,125 ppm dry weight.

The value is below the quality standard based on

ANZECC / ARMCANZ.

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