JP\/5\/RIVER<\/p>\n
Medan's murky waters degrading rapidly<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nMedan, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
Industrial and household waste has heavily polluted all five
\nrivers that flow through Medan, North Sumatra, degrading the
\nquality of the water, say local environment officials.<\/p>\n
"The finding is based on a survey conducted last year in 27
\nspots along those rivers," said Hakimil Nasution, the head of
\nNorth Sumatra Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedalda).<\/p>\n
The five in question are the Deli, Belawan, Belumai, Asahan
\nand Merbau Rivers.<\/p>\n
"The pollution is extremely bad and extremely harmful to
\nhealth as many people rely on the contaminated rivers for
\nhousehold needs," Hakimil told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Rosdiana Simarmata, a researcher with the agency, said the
\npollution came from people living along riverbanks who threw
\ntheir household waste into the rivers.<\/p>\n
Household waste comprised 70 percent of the total waste dumped
\ninto the five rivers, while the remaining 30 percent came from
\nindustries in Medan, she added.<\/p>\n
She warned that the growing population in Medan meant the
\npollution was a virtual time bomb for city residents.<\/p>\n
"Almost 100,000 people are currently living along the banks of
\nthe Deli River alone," Rosdiana said.<\/p>\n
Hakimil further said the pollution in the five rivers was
\nbeyond a tolerable level.<\/p>\n
The survey showed that the level of the Biological Oxygen
\nDemand (BOD) in the five rivers, reached between 5.60 and 12
\nmilligrams per liter of water, while the tolerable level is less
\nthan two milligram per liter water, he said.<\/p>\n
Also, the level of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in the rivers
\nwas recorded at between 11.2 and 31 milligrams per liter of
\nwater, while the level was supposed to be less than 10 milligrams
\nper liter, Hakimil added.<\/p>\n
He said water turbidity in the rivers was between 18 and 110
\nmilligrams per liter, surpassing the maximum level of 50
\nmilligrams per liter.<\/p>\n
Hakimil said that the pollution must be stopped or reduced
\nbecause it would pose dangers for local villagers living along
\nthe riverbanks. They usually used the rivers for daily household
\npurposes, including bathing and washing.<\/p>\n
Hakimil said the pollution also threatened the fish in the
\nrivers.<\/p>\n
He said that his office had taken measures to reduce the level
\nof pollution, including seminars aimed at raising the awareness
\nof local people and industries, to discourage them from dumping
\nwaste into the rivers.<\/p>\n
"If these measures are not effective, we will file a lawsuit
\nimmediately against those polluters, most notably big
\nindustries," he warned.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp5river-1447899208",
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