Household, chemical waste pollutes rivers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Unlike Venice that is renowned for its clean
\nrivers, here we only see dirty rivers, some of which even give
\noff a putrid stench.<\/p>\n
All of the 13 rivers in the capital city are currently in an
\nappalling condition. They are polluted by waste from households
\nand factories, an environmental official said.<\/p>\n
"You can see the river pollution just by looking at the color
\nof its water," said Aboeprajitno Aboejuwono, the head of the
\ncity's environmental impact management agency (Bapedalda),
\nreferring to the dark, murky water of the rivers.<\/p>\n
The river pollution is a result of a combination of both
\norganic and chemical waste dumped into the rivers. The organic
\nwaste, or biodegradable waste is mostly from households, while
\nchemical waste, or nonbiodegradable waste is contributed by
\nfactories.<\/p>\n
Aboejuwono blamed household waste as the major cause of the
\norganic pollution and industrial waste as the main cause of
\nchemical pollution.<\/p>\n
Each year some 14,000 cubic meters of household waste is
\ndumped into the city's rivers. Only a part of it is carried out
\nto the sea.<\/p>\n
People living along the riversides contribute a large portion
\nof the household waste. They use the rivers as though they were
\npublic garbage dumps or toilets.<\/p>\n
Sumini, who lives by the Ciliwung river in Manggarai area,
\nCentral Jakarta, admitted that she and her neighbors used the
\nriver as a dumping site for their household waste.<\/p>\n
"Dumping garbage into the river is free. Besides, it will be
\ncarried out to sea," she told The Jakarta Post, adding that there
\nis no garbage dumping site in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Sumini's neighbor, Albert, said that the people there usually
\nthrew their garbage on the riverbanks as well. "It's common
\nhere," he remarked.<\/p>\n
However, the people in the neighborhood do not use the river
\nfor their daily needs such as for bathing or cooking as it is too
\ndirty.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, data shows that the waste from industrial companies
\ncontributes up to 90 percent of river pollution in Jakarta. The
\nfactories dump more than 900,000 cubic meters of waste into the
\nrivers each year.<\/p>\n
Most of the factories still dump their industrial waste
\ndirectly into the rivers without processing it first, while some
\nothers possess waste recycling facilities.<\/p>\n
Bapedalda has instructed that all factories must be equipped
\nwith their own waste processing plant. But only big factories can
\nafford to buy such equipment since it is relatively expensive,
\nAboejuwono said.<\/p>\n
He noted that the city administration has taken strict action
\nagainst some factories which failed to manage their chemical
\nwaste. He cited an example of a company named Trebor, whose
\noperation permit was suspended in 1995 due to its violation of
\nthe waste regulation. The following year, after it had complied
\nwith the requirements, the government allowed the company to
\nresume operation.<\/p>\n
He said that to solve the city's river pollution problem,
\nBapedalda has developed the Clean River Program (Prokasih) since
\nthe early 1990s.<\/p>\n
Free<\/p>\n
Aboejuwono claimed that several rivers are now free of
\nhousehold garbage, not due to increasing public environmental
\nawareness, but because the authorities and also scavengers,
\nmanaged to clear the waste. But he admitted his office still
\nfaced difficulties in cleaning up chemical waste from the rivers.<\/p>\n
"This is a long term program; the results are not instant," he
\nremarked.<\/p>\n
Aboejuwono said that Bapedalda monitored liquid waste from the
\nfactories regularly by checking their waste processing equipment
\neach year.<\/p>\n
He confessed that it was more difficult to ask residents not
\nto dump their household waste into the rivers or on the
\nriverbanks.<\/p>\n
"It is not easy to change people's habits," he concluded.<\/p>\n
But he said his office would continue to pursue such efforts.
\nCurrently, the agency is formulating a regulation requiring all
\npeople living alongside the rivers to build their houses facing
\nthe rivers. (04)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/household-chemical-waste-pollutes-rivers-1447893297",
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