Five firms in West Java sued for polluting<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The North Jakarta District Court began hearing a
\nlawsuit yesterday filed by 5,000 residents of Serang, West Java,
\nagainst five factories on charges of polluting a river.<\/p>\n
The companies, PT Indah Kiat Pulp and Paper, PT Cipta Paperia,
\nPT Onward Paper Utama, PT Sekawan Maju Pesat and PT Picon Jaya,
\nhave allegedly polluted the Ciujung river.<\/p>\n
The residents, represented by 17 people in the lawsuit, are
\nseeking a court order which will force the five companies to
\nconduct an environmental audit, as required by a 1991 law on the
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
They are also seeking Rp 5 billion (US$2.2 million) in damages
\nfor immaterial losses resulting from \"being deprived of the right
\nto live in a clean and healthy environment\" and Rp 22 billion for
\nmaterial losses in the form of lost income and extra expenses
\nincurred for the acquisition of clean water.<\/p>\n
They also asked the court to order the West Java
\nAdministration to establish an environmental monitoring team in
\nthe Serang regency, comprising representatives from the local
\nadministration, non-governmental organizations, local public
\nfigures and the companies.<\/p>\n
They said in the lawsuit, filed on Aug. 14, that the pollution
\nhas worsened over a period of time and that they have tried to
\nsettle the dispute out of court, but to no avail.<\/p>\n
The plaintiffs, who were represented by lawyers from the
\nJakarta chapter of the Indonesian Legal Institute, submitted as
\nevidence a 1993 study on pollution along 15 kilometers of the
\nCiujung river conducted by the Center for Fisheries Research and
\nDevelopment of the Ministry of Agriculture. The research found
\nthat the river became heavily polluted after the establishment of
\nthe five companies in 1992. (imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/five-firms-in-west-java-sued-for-polluting-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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