Pollution makes life a hell for many in E. Java<\/p>\n
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya<\/p>\n
Siti, a 50-year-old woman, is one of thousands of people
\nliving in modest rented houses in the village of Lebak Jaya in
\nKenjeran, Surabaya, East Java, situated near the factory walls of
\nPT UBS.<\/p>\n
The place she calls home measures 12 square meters and is
\ncrammed with beds, a cupboard, a small table and a television
\nset. She lives with her daughter, son-in-law and grandchild.<\/p>\n
Siti and the thousands of residents in the area have to deal
\nwith the noise from the factory, not to mention the factory
\nemissions and problems with their groundwater.<\/p>\n
Water drawn from wells in the area is murky and has a bad
\nsmell. Many residents prefer to buy water sold by residents who
\nare customers of the local tap water company.<\/p>\n
After living with the situation for almost 15 years, residents
\ndecided not to stay quiet any longer, filing a complaint with the
\nSurabaya municipal council.<\/p>\n
The municipal council persuaded the municipality, through the
\nprovincial environmental office, to check the groundwater in the
\narea for pollutants and to test the air around the factory in the
\nmiddle of 2004.<\/p>\n
Water pollutants in the area were found to exceed the normal
\nstandard density of 64 milligrams per liter.<\/p>\n
Fifteen residents of Lebak Jaya are suffering from lung
\ndisease, with three of them dying, while dozens of others have
\nbronchitis, pharyngitis and frequent diarrhea.<\/p>\n
Data from the East Java branch of the Indonesian Environmental
\nForum (Walhi) indicated that many married women in the area
\nsuffered from sterility, ovarian cancer and abnormal births.<\/p>\n
The Surabaya municipal council recommended that the provincial
\nadministration close down the gold processing plant.<\/p>\n
However, the plant, which was built in the 1990s, continues to
\noperate to this day.<\/p>\n
\"The situation has not changed,\" Agung, a Lebak Jaya resident,
\ntold The Jakarta Post recently.<\/p>\n
This is not the only area in the province struggling with
\npollution problems. The head of the East Java branch of the
\nEnvironmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal), Hartoyo,
\nrecently announced that 16 companies in East Java were violating
\npollution regulations.<\/p>\n
The companies are located in large cities such as Surabaya,
\nSidoarjo, Gresik, Pasuruan, Mojokerto, Malang and Nganjuk.<\/p>\n
\"All 16 companies have polluted the soil and rivers in East
\nJava,\" said Hartoyo during a hearing with Commission D of the
\nprovincial legislature.<\/p>\n
The companies, which are being investigated by the provincial
\npolice, were identified only by their initials: PT UBS, PT SPM
\nand PT WJ (Surabaya); CV TPI and PT WS (Sidoarjo); PT TAS, PT MP
\nand PT TMS (Gresik); CV LJ, PT SC and PT SSL (Pasuruan); PT DS
\n(Mojokerto); PT EMF and PT PBA (Malang); and PT JK (Nganjuk).<\/p>\n
Two of the companies have been fined by district courts. They
\nare PT Sorini Corporation in Pasuruan and PT Djabes Sejati in
\nMojokerto.<\/p>\n
\"PT Sorini Corporation has been fined Rp 1 million and PT
\nDjabes Sejati Rp 500,000,\" said Hartoyo.<\/p>\n
A case involving PT TIS is still making its way through the
\nSidoarjo District Court.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the South Surabaya Police discovered hazardous
\nwaste of the B3 type (highly flammable and not recyclable) being
\ndisposed of at the Jambangan dump at the end of March.<\/p>\n
According to Government Regulation No. 18\/1999 on the
\nenvironment, such waste can only be disposed of at the Cileungsi
\ndump in Bogor, West Java.<\/p>\n
After an investigation, the police found a number of serious
\nviolations, including the forging of scrap waste disposal permits
\nand the illegal disposal of hazardous waste.<\/p>\n
The police have identified two suspects but have not detained
\nor charged either man.<\/p>\n
The East Java branch of Walhi does not believe either the
\npolice or Bapedal are doing enough to deal with pollution in the
\nprovince, pointing out that the authorities have not used Law No.
\n23\/1997 on environmental management to punish polluters.<\/p>\n
For example, the two companies that were fined Rp 1 million
\nand Rp 500,000 respectively in district courts, could have faced
\nfines of up to Rp 500 million if charged under Law No. 23\/1997.<\/p>\n
\"Fines of Rp 1 million and Rp 500,000 mean nothing to
\npolluting companies. The money is not enough to repair the
\nenvironment damaged by their pollution. The government is not
\nserious about handling pollution case,\" said the executive
\ndirector of East Java Walhi, Saiful Ashadi.<\/p>",
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