Govt announces names of worst river polluters<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two plywood producers, two paper mills and a
\npaint factory were named the worst river polluters by the
\ngovernment yesterday.<\/p>\n
The Environmental Management Impact Agency (Bapedal), the
\ngovernment's environmental watchdog, disclosed yesterday the
\nresults of its survey of 213 companies which discharge waste into
\nrivers. They rated them according to their performance in living
\nup to their environmental responsibilities.<\/p>\n
Five of the surveyed companies got black ratings for being the
\nworst polluters. The black listed companies are PT Raja Garuda
\nMas Panel, a plywood producer in Riau; PT Tirta Mahakam Plywood
\nIndustry in East Kalimantan; PT Papyrus Sakti Paper Mill, a paper
\nand pulp producer in West Java; PT Sari Morawa, a paper factory
\nin North Sumatra; and PT Sico, a paint factory in North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, who also
\nchairs Bapedal, announced the findings to the media yesterday.<\/p>\n
While he made no mention of any planned action against the
\ncompanies, Sarwono said Bapedal is ready to assist people
\naffected by the pollution to initiate legal action against the
\nfive offenders.<\/p>\n
Sarwono said his officers are ready to testify as expert
\nwitnesses for the plaintiffs.<\/p>\n
Executives of the five companies were not available to comment
\non Sarwono's promise.<\/p>\n
This is the first time the government has revealed the names
\nof the country's worst industrial polluters. Last June, when
\nBapedal disclosed the results of its first study, then covering
\n187 companies, it only named the five best performers.<\/p>\n
None of the 213 companies surveyed won the gold category,
\nreserved for companies that have zero pollution. After gold comes
\ngreen, then blue, red and black.<\/p>\n
Five companies were named in the green category. They are PT
\nCoca Cola Pan Java in North Sumatra; PT Kalhold Utama, a plywood
\ncompany in East Kalimantan; PT Pindad, the state-owned arms
\nmanufacturer in West Java, PT Petrokimia Nusantara Interindo and
\nPT Indah Kiat Pulp and Paper Corporation in Tangerang, West Java.<\/p>\n
Eighty-eight companies were rated blue and 115 were rated red.<\/p>\n
Sarwono concluded that in the majority of cases, company
\nowners, not the management, hold the key to how the company lives
\nup to its environmental responsibilities.<\/p>\n
He compared Raja Garuda Mas, which is a subsidiary of a
\nbusiness group by the same name, with PT Inti Indorayon Utama, a
\nhuge pulp and paper factory in North Sumatra. Indorayon got a
\nblue rating because of the willingness of its owners.<\/p>\n
\"This goes to show that business group owners must lead their
\ncompanies into environmental standard compliance,\" he said. \"Our
\nbusiness culture shows strong dependence on owners rather than on
\nmanagement.\"<\/p>\n
Inti Indorayon Utama was the target of public rage when a gas
\npipe exploded at its plant late in 1993. It had also been blasted
\nfor excessive logging and pollution. It volunteered to undergo
\nenvironmental auditing last June.<\/p>\n
The Proper Prokasih, or the program for pollution control
\nevaluation and rating, evaluates the quality of waste water of a
\nfactory discharged to rivers. The rating does not include
\ndischarge into the air.<\/p>\n
Sarwono said the rating system will be expanded to include all
\nhazardous pollutants.<\/p>\n
Bapedal Deputy for Pollution Supervision Nabiel Makarim said
\nthat compared with the first survey six months ago there has been
\nan improvement in the way companies control their waste.<\/p>\n
Sarwono picked out PT Indobharat Rayon, a textile company in
\nPurwakarta, West Java, which he described as having made
\n\"dramatic progress\". It move from black to blue within six
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
PT Cheil Samsung Astra, a Korean joint venture producing food
\nseasoning in East Java, was dropped from the recent study because
\nBapedal decided to undertake a new study following allegations
\nlast month that the company was polluting the river.<\/p>\n
Cheil Samsung, which was one of the five companies rated green
\nin June, was the target of an angry protest by shrimp farmers who
\nclaimed that its waste was killing the river.<\/p>\n
Sarwono yesterday maintained that there was no problem with
\nCheil Samsung's waste as far as Bapedal was concerned.<\/p>\n
The rating system and the biyearly public disclosure is
\nexpected to motivate companies to perform better, sparing the
\ngovernment, at least at this stage, from having to go through
\ncomplex and lengthy legal actions.<\/p>\n
Once the climate of compliance is better, there is more hope
\nfor law enforcement, Sarwono said.<\/p>\n
He added that with Bapedal's database, law enforcement
\nagencies should feel more confident in bringing suspects to
\ntrial. (anr)<\/p>",
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