200 harmed by diving

PALU, Central Sulawesi: At least 200 divers operating without standard diving equipment in the waters of the Togean islands have either died or become incapacitated over the last seven years.

Antara reported Tuesday that the Toloka and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said the divers, who work up to dozens of meters underwater for 50 minutes, used hoses linked to compressors as breathing apparatus.

A WWF researcher, identified as Liza, said researchers surveyed 60 villages in the Togean islands such as Kabalutan, Panabali, Kulingkinari, Wakai and Siatu.

The divers mostly fish for hump-head wrasse (locally known as ikan napoleon or cheilinus undulatus), she said, and only used compressors to assist breathing, such as those available in motorcar workshops.

"Those compressors are far from suitable for diving use," Liza said. The risks of using such equipment were either death or incapacitation, she added.

"The victims were aged between 18 and 35 years old," she said. The report did not mention the research methods or how long research was conducted.

Harley, the provincial deputy of the program section of the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) cited rules of the Professional Association of Dive Instructors, an international body providing safety guidelines.

The association rules state that those diving up to 30 meters should only be underwater for 20 minutes, Harley said.

He added that danger could be avoided if entrepreneurs of sea produce on the islands provided basic training and equipment for divers.

He further said that related agencies should punish entrepreneurs profiting from sea produce in the area if they neglected to their protect divers. The provincial Walhi office has listed 12 entrepreneurs which only provide compressors for their divers.