News
Unlicensed gold panning pulls East Sumba farmers from their fields
In Karera Jangga village, residents say a week by the river can bring 5 to 10 grams of gold.
Residents of Karera Jangga village in Paberiwai district, East Sumba, are leaving farm work to pan rivers for gold without permits, local news site Waingapu.Com reported on 6 November 2026. One resident, quoted under a pseudonym, said people living at the sites collect 5 to 10 grams a week; the figure comes from a single source and could not be verified.
- Place: Karera Jangga village, Paberiwai district, East Sumba.
- Residents are panning rivers for gold without permits and leaving their fields.
- Some have built simple shelters near the sites.
- A resident claimed 5 to 10 grams a week, and about 40 grams for one person (unverified).
- The report quotes no officials and describes no enforcement.
PABERIWAI — Residents of Karera Jangga village in Paberiwai district, East Sumba, are leaving farm work to search rivers for gold without permits, local news site Waingapu.Com reported on 6 November. Some have built simple shelters near the sites so they can stay and pan for longer.
How much gold the panners say they find
A resident quoted under a pseudonym said that neighbours living at the site can collect 5 to 10 grams a week, and that one had gathered about 40 grams. These figures come from a single source and could not be verified.
No officials quoted on the gold panning
The report quotes no government or police officials and does not describe any enforcement.
What it means
Mining without a permit is an offence under Indonesian law. Small-scale gold mining elsewhere in Indonesia is often linked to mercury use; the report does not say whether mercury is used here. For residents and investors in East Sumba, the story is worth following for its possible effects on rivers, farming and land use in the area.
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