Fishermen worry about losing income, not pollution<\/p>\n
By Sirikit Syah<\/p>\n
SURABAYA (JP): The fishing communities of Kenjeran and Keputih
\ndistricts here are facing dire health risks from the highest
\ncontamination of heavy metals in the world.<\/p>\n
\"We used to sell up to 500 kilos of fish a day; people would
\nwait for us on the beach,\" fisherman Mohammad said. \"Now, we're
\nlucky if we can sell around 100 kilos a day. And nobody waits for
\nus now.\"<\/p>\n
Kenjeran to the east of Surabaya is one of East Java's prime
\ntourist spots, famous for local delicacies like kupang lontong
\n(steamed rice sticks and clams) and sate kerang (sauteed
\nshellfish). This is where people buy directly from the fishermen.
\nOnce reports of contamination hit the press earlier this year
\nsales dropped dramatically.<\/p>\n
Yajid, a local youth who used to catch shellfish and sell them
\nto nearby restaurants, is facing a hard time as well. He used to
\nearn Rp 50,000 (US$21) a day from his catch, at about Rp 7,000
\nper kg. Today he makes considerably less.<\/p>\n
Hariah, who sells kupang lontong and sate kerang, said she
\nmakes less and less every day. She used to sell about 10 kilos of
\nclams and shellfish in three days. It's no longer that much
\nanymore, and the small food market where she sells her food is
\noften empty now.<\/p>\n
Fishermen trying to sell their catch in Pabean, the biggest
\nfish market in Surabaya, also complain that people are avoiding
\nfish these days. \"This is bad for our business,\" one said.<\/p>\n
Three local researchers -- Suharno Pikir, Anwar Daud and Atiek
\nMoesriyati -- found that the beaches of Kenjeran and Keputih are
\nhome to the worst heavy metal contamination in the world.<\/p>\n
Suharno Pikir of Airlangga University revealed in 1993 that
\nsamples of mud taken from Keputih contained 1.485 parts per
\nmillion (ppm) of mercury, while those from Kenjeran had 0.605
\nppm. The mercury contamination in Southampton, England -- once
\nsaid to be world's highest -- in comparison, ranged between 0.18
\nto 0.57 ppm.<\/p>\n
Daud Anwar, who continued Suharno's research after the latter
\ndied, found early symptoms of Minamata (a pollution-related
\nsickness once suffered by people of Minamata Bay in Japan) among
\nresidents who consume fish and clams daily.<\/p>\n
According to Kompas, Daud's study found 44 residents
\ncomplaining of headaches, fever, pain, loss of appetite, and
\noverall listlessness. He also found some neurological disorders.<\/p>\n
\"With such high levels of contamination, the fish and
\nshellfish from the eastern shore of Surabaya are not fit to eat,\"
\nDaud said.<\/p>\n
Increasing<\/p>\n
The most recent research was conducted in 1995 by Atiek
\nMoesriyati from the November 10 Institute of Technology in
\nSurabaya (ITS). She studied the contamination of fish, shrimps,
\nshellfish and residents' blood. She found even higher
\ncontamination than that recorded by her two predecessors.<\/p>\n
Atiek declined to be specific about the level of
\ncontamination, but insisted that it has been increasing for the
\npast two years.<\/p>\n
Kompas last month quoted H. Agus Syamsuddin, the head of the
\nEast Java provincial office of the environment, as saying that
\nthe studies should be examined in more detail. He admitted that
\ncurrently, there are 26 factories dumping their waste into the
\nSurabaya River on a daily basis.<\/p>\n
\"But the waste is processed first,\" he insisted.<\/p>\n
Atiek said she had submitted her findings to the local office
\nof the Ministry of Health, the Surabaya mayoralty and her
\nuniversity.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know what has been done so far to follow up. If
\nanything has been done, I certainly don't know about it,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
She acknowledged that residents may not feel anything amiss
\nyet, but said that health problems due to pollution often take
\nyears to emerge. People in Minamata showed symptoms some 30 years
\nafter the pollution took place.<\/p>\n
One chemical factory in Canada buried its waste in the 1940s
\nin Luff Canal near the Niagara Falls; some 30 years later, the
\nfarmers and their children started to suffer from skin diseases.
\nWhen examined, the residents' bodies showed contamination by
\nheavy metals.<\/p>\n
Atiek pointed out that elements of heavy metals such as
\nmercury and lead remain in the liver and kidneys.<\/p>\n
\"These elements cannot be destroyed. They are absorbed. They
\ncannot be washed out of the body through urine or sweat. They
\nwill become toxic -- fatal,\" Atiek said.<\/p>\n
Atiek warned that mercury affects the metabolism and the
\nreproductive system. Even if nobody seems affected today, future
\nchildren may have to suffer instead, she said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fishermen-worry-about-losing-income-not-pollution-1447893297",
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