Walhi won't file suit against polluters<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi)
\nsays it has no immediate plans to file lawsuits against companies
\nnamed by the government as the worst industrial polluters,
\ndespite offers of assistance from the state.<\/p>\n
Walhi, which in the past has represented people in
\nenvironmental disputes, viewed the environmental rating system
\nused by the Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal) as
\nso fraught with weaknesses that it might not stand up in court.<\/p>\n
\"The evaluation and rating program is still in a trial and
\nerror phase,\" Arimbi Heroepoetri, the forum's manager of the
\nenvironmental law program, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
\"Its rating system has yet to be tested in the field,\" she
\nsaid, adding that Bapedal has credibility problems.<\/p>\n
Bapedal last week announced the names of the five worst
\nindustrial polluters. State Minister for Environment Sarwono
\nKusumaatmadja, who also chairs the agency, said that while his
\noffice had no plans to prosecute the polluters, Bapedal officers
\nwould be prepared to testify for members of the public who
\ndecided to take up legal action against the culprits.<\/p>\n
Sarwono said Bapedal's latest study could also be used by law
\nenforcement agencies as evidence in court trials.<\/p>\n
Bapedal's study rated more than 200 companies according to how
\nthey have lived up to their environmental responsibilities. At
\npresent, the study was restricted to rating the waste they
\ndischarged into rivers.<\/p>\n
A gold rating is reserved for the best performers with zero
\npollution. Not a single company qualified for this. Then followed
\ngreen, blue, red and black.<\/p>\n
Sarwono named the five companies that were rated black,
\nreserved for the worst polluters. They were PT Raja Garuda Mas
\nPanel, a plywood producer in Riau; PT Tirta Mahakam Plywood
\nIndustry in East Kalimantan; PT Papyrus Sakti Paper Mill, a paper
\nand pulp producer in West Java; PT Sari Morawa, a paper factory
\nin North Sumatra; and PT Sico, a paint factory in North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
None of these companies were available for comment yesterday.<\/p>\n
Emmy Hafild, Walhi's special program coordinator, said
\nBapedal's incidental sampling of a factory's waste water should
\nbe complemented with regular sampling in a certain period of
\ntime, and input from locals.<\/p>\n
People who live near factories along rivers, she said, \"know
\nbest whether a plant consistently operates its waste water
\nequipment.\"<\/p>\n
\"How do we know a plant actually operates its equipment when
\nBapedal officers are not taking samples?\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"Given its limitations, Bapedal's evaluation program is a good
\nstart,\" Emmy said.<\/p>\n
A lawyer at the Surabaya Legal Aid Institute said
\nenvironmental cases do not stand up in court even with stronger
\ndata than Bapedal's evaluations.<\/p>\n
\"Bapedal's study would not account for anything,\" said Andik
\nHardiyanto who heads the Office's division of environment and
\nland disputes.<\/p>\n
Walhi's lawsuit against three companies charged of polluting
\nthe Surabaya River is supported by a study conducted by
\ngovernment and non-government experts from 1993 to 1995.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit filed at the Surabaya District Court in May was
\nrejected in December \"on the classic grounds that the
\nenvironmental law does not have implementation rules,\" Andik told
\nthe Post by telephone.<\/p>\n
\"We have appealed to the East Java High Court,\" he said. (anr)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/walhi-wont-file-suit-against-polluters-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }