Residents told to discuss pollution with companies<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The North Jakarta District Court told Serang
\nresidents yesterday to speak directly to the West Java
\nadministration and the five companies that are polluting the
\nCiujung river.<\/p>\n
Some 5,000 residents of Serang, West Java, have filed a
\nlawsuit against five factories -- PT Indah Kiat Pulp and Paper,
\nPT Cipta Paperia, PT Onward Paper Utama, PT Sekawan Maju Pesat
\nand PT Picon Jaya -- for allegedly polluting the Ciujung river
\nwith unprocessed industrial waste.<\/p>\n
The five factories, located in Serang, have their head offices
\nin North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The residents, represented by 17 people in th lawsuit, also
\nsued the West Java administration for failure to supervise the
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
West Java administration representatives were not present
\nduring yesterday's court session.<\/p>\n
Presiding Judge Adi Nugraha adjourned the trial until
\nWednesday to give the residents and the six defendants a chance
\nto settle the dispute out of court.<\/p>\n
Jakarta branch lawyers from the Legal Aid Institute
\nrepresenting the plaintiffs said that they have tried to talk to
\nexecutives from the five factories.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year the institute invited factory executives
\nfrom all five companies to a meeting. Executives of PT Cipta
\nPaperia, PT Sekawan Maju Pesat and PT Picon Jaya responded to the
\ninvitation, but PT Indah Kiat and PT Onward Paper Utama did not
\nsend any officials to the meeting.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, executives from three of the factories
\nacknowledged that they had dumped their industrial waste into the
\nCiujung river and vowed that they would soon install waste
\ntreatment plants, said I Made Wahyu, a lawyer for one of the
\nplaintiffs.<\/p>\n
"So far, however, no waste treatment plants have been
\ninstalled by any of the companies," Wahyu said, adding that the
\nfactories continue to dump their industrial waste in the river.<\/p>\n
The residents are seeking a court order to force the five
\ncompanies to conduct an environmental audit as required by the
\n1991 law on the environment.<\/p>\n
Seeking Rp 18.7 billion ($8.5 million) in material and
\nimmaterial losses, the residents say they have been deprived of
\ntheir right to live in a healthy environment with clean water.<\/p>\n
The plaintiffs also asked the court to order the West Java
\nadministration to set up an environmental monitoring team in the
\nSerang regency, comprised of representatives from the local
\nadministration, non-governmental organizations, companies and
\nlocal public figures. (29)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/residents-told-to-discuss-pollution-with-companies-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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