TPL may be innocent, says minister<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim said
\non Wednesday that it would be difficult to prove if pulp
\nproducing company, Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL), was to blame for the
\nacid rain in the Porsea district of North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
\"There is no evidence backing this claim, because rain has yet
\nto fall there,\" Nabiel said after a meeting with Vice President
\nHamzah Haz here.<\/p>\n
He said locals had blamed the company's sulfurous gas
\nemissions for acid rain in the district.<\/p>\n
He noted that one way to prove this was to take samples of the
\nrainwater.<\/p>\n
However, he said, there had not been any rain in the area so
\nfar.<\/p>\n
TPL has resumed operations after being closed for a few months
\nfollowing complaints from locals that it was polluting the
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
The government has allowed the company to resume its
\nproduction of pulp, but not rayon.<\/p>\n
TPL has reportedly been able to overcome the waste disposal
\nproblem and will, in the next six to nine months, acquire
\nequipment that will clear the area of the bad smell that the
\nfactory continues to produce.<\/p>\n
Nabiel called on locals to refrain from the use of violence in
\ndealing with the issue. --Antara<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tpl-may-be-innocent-says-minister-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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