Poisoned Water, Clean Cars: A Nickel Titan’s Toxic Secret

Описание: A major nickel producer supplying EV battery makers—whose materials likely reach giants like Tesla, Toyota, and BMW—has repeatedly polluted Indonesian water sources for years with the cancer-causing toxin chromium-6, internal documents reveal.

Harita Nickel, one of Indonesia’s most important nickel miners, has left a toxic legacy in its wake.

Its sprawling operations on remote Obi Island, eastern Indonesia, repeatedly leaked toxic chromium-6 for years, a vast trove of internal company documents and emails reveals.

Harita staff tried to contain the contamination—but the polluted water repeatedly flowed, and the company kept expanding.

By 2022, chromium-6 had reached the village’s main spring, used daily for drinking, cooking, and bathing by residents living on the mine’s doorstep.

Chromium-6 exposure can cause liver and kidney damage, skin irritation, tooth erosion, and potentially cancer.

Despite knowing the risks, Harita kept expanding its operations while publicly denying allegations of pollution.

Harita did not respond to The Gecko Project’s requests for comment but has previously denied polluting water and recently claimed that drinking water on Obi is safe.

This investigation is a collaboration between The Gecko Project, OCCRP, Deutsche Welle, KCIJ Newstapa, and The Guardian.

How does Harita Nickel's own data reveal pollution on Obi Island?
Read our investigation 👉 https://thegeckoproject.org/articles/...

Follow The Gecko Project:
Youtube:    / @thegeckoproject  
Facebook:   / thegeckoproject.org  
Instagram:   / thegeckoproject  
Twitter: https://x.com/geckoproj
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thegeckoproj...

#electricvehicles #ev #nickel #ToxicLeak #indonesia

About the Gecko Project: We are a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the role of land use in some of the most pressing global challenges: climate change, deforestation, the collapse of biodiversity, food security, and the rights of marginalised communities.