Coal dusted rice for the poor<\/p>\n
Yuliansyah, The Jakarta Post, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan<\/p>\n
The Banjarmasin Environmental Impact Agency said on Tuesday
\nthat it would evaluate some of the hundreds of tons of rice for
\nthe poor that were found to be contaminated with coal dust in
\norder to assess any health hazards to consumers.<\/p>\n
Agency chairman Hesley Junianto said that the rice would
\nundergo a thorough examination by the South Kalimantan Food and
\nDrug Control Agency (BPOM).<\/p>\n
\"The coal dust attached to the rice is thick. We should
\nexamine the hazards brought on by the contamination since it is
\nconsumed by poor people in the province,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Previously, the Provincial Logistics Depot (Dolog) Warehouse
\nsubmitted a letter to the Provincial Logistics Affairs Agency
\n(Bulog) giving notice that rice in the warehouses in the Telaga
\nBiru area of Trisakti port had been contaminated with coal dust
\nallegedly from the coal stockpiles of PT Pelindo III and PT
\nJayasakti Barutama.<\/p>\n
Bulog warehouse chairman Soejono admitted that some 900 tons
\nof rice in Dolog warehouses had been contaminated with the coal
\ndust.<\/p>\n
He said the rice was usually provided to some 25,797 poor
\nfamilies in Banjarmasin city, 13,595 poor families in the Barito
\nKuala regency, provincial military personnel and inmates in the
\nprovincial jail.<\/p>\n
Data provided by the Dolog office shows that the rice has been
\nsupplied monthly to 142,444 families in the province for the past
\ntwo years.<\/p>\n
Antasari Military Resort chief Col. Sudarmaidy urged
\nprovincial administrations to take immediate steps to solve the
\nproblem.<\/p>\n
\"I am concerned with this because the rice is endangering the
\nhealth of poor people and military personnel, and while we cannot
\nchange something that has already happened I hope there are some
\nmeasures that can be taken immediately,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Pelindo III General Affairs chairman Bambang Subekti, however,
\ndenied that his company had contaminated the rice warehouses.<\/p>\n
\"The port is the entry point for coal distribution so you
\ncannot judge that it is our coal stockpiles that have
\ncontaminated rice supplies,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Bambang said that his team had prevented contamination from
\ncoal dust by spraying water on the coal stockpiles and
\nsurrounding areas.<\/p>\n
Possible health hazards from the contaminated rice will be
\nannounced after BPOM completes its tests.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, residents of the Sebuku Islands, Kotabaru regency,
\nare demanding that a coal-mining regency give them financial
\ncompensation for the death of some 350 cows that they claim died
\nafter eating grass contaminated by the coal waste.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/coal-dusted-rice-for-the-poor-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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