ANALYSIS OF ROAD DAMAGE CAUSED BY MINING ACTIVITIES IN MOROWALI REGENCY

Abstract

The background of this study is the increase in road damage in Bahodopi District, Morowali Regency, as a direct impact of the intensification of nickel mining activities and the use of district roads by large cargo mining vehicles. The road, which was not originally planned to bear a load of 30–40 tons per vehicle, now has to serve industrial and community traffic flows at once, thus triggering a decline in the structural and functional performance of the road and increasing the risk of accidents and transportation costs for residents. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between mining activities and the level of road damage on the main section in Bahodopi District, identify the role of the government monitoring system and policies as well as environmental conditions (rainfall, drainage, and soil carrying capacity) as factors that moderate damage, and formulate recommendations for more sustainable road handling and management in mining areas. The design of this study applies in the form of a qualitative, descriptive-exploratory approach with a focus on location on a 2.60 km road. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 resource persons (community, local governments, and mine employees), direct observation of the physical condition of roads and vehicle traffic, as well as review of road technical documents and regulations related to mining and infrastructure management. Data analysis applied a measurement method on the physical condition of the road through the classification of good to severely damaged categories, the calculation of the Perceptual Damage Index (IKP) based on respondents' assessments, and thematic analysis of interview transcripts with reference to the Miles & Huberman model and the six-step Braun & Clarke analysis. This approach allows for the holistic integration of technical and social findings. The results showed that 65.38% of the length of the section was in a severely damaged condition, while only 34.62% was still in good condition, with an IKP value of 3.65 which described the public's perception of the road as "likely to be very damaged". The damage was concentrated in the segment that was the main line of mining trucks loaded with 30–40 tons, exacerbated by poor drainage systems and low soil carrying capacity, as well as weak tonnage supervision and the unavailability of special mining lines.