Activists raise concern over Lampung waste management
Activists raise concern over Lampung waste management
JAKARTA (JP): At dawn, Rosimin and Sudaryono set out for the river to collect fish in the nets they set the evening before.
The two, residents of Gunung Pasir village, Jabung district, Central Lampung, passed behind a sodium glutamate factory, Indo Rasa, owned by PT Indo Miwon Citra Inti (IMCI). They smelled the stench from the waste disposal near the Bohong River. They were accustomed to the odor of ammonia in the area but it was much stronger on this particular day, Nov. 7.
Without warning, as Rosimin, 40, approached the spot where they had laid their nets, he collapsed unconscious. Sudaryono, 45, tried to help his friend but also passed out.
Rosimin died within minutes but passersby were able to rescue Sudaryono, Antara reported.
The company subsequently agreed to guarantee the welfare of Rosimin's family, and Sudaryono and his family. It also promised to improve waste management.
Was the incident really due to the fumes emitted from the factory's waste and could they spread to surrounding areas?
An investigative team -- consisting of members of the Legal Aid Institute (LBH), Society of Nature and Environment Lovers (Watala) and the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) -- found evidence in the affirmative.
Although Rosimin did not undergo a full autopsy because his family refused permission, the head of the environmental division of LBH Bandarlampung, Watoni Noerdin, said preliminary tests showed he died from inhaling poisonous fumes.
The group's inspection found major flaws in waste management by the factory, and waste storage and disposal were unreliable.
The LBH team found numerous carcasses of frogs, fishes, snakes, rats, bats, and several other wild animals scattered in the wetlands and areas near Bohong River. It concluded they most likely also died of toxic fumes.
In checking waste pipes from PT IMCI, they found that the fluid in one was relatively clear but another was pitch black, which was assumed to be hazardous materials.
Guswarman and Alvin Zaldiar of Walhi said the sodium glutamate factory, which has been operating since 1991, uses ammonia, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and soda.
The factory has several cement containers and others for storing dirt and soil. The group's inspection considered the containers in a dangerous condition. They did not prevent fluids from entering the ground soil, and were breaking apart. The factory's most recent attempt to repair the cracks consisted of stacking sandbags under them, and puddles of dangerous fluids were evident, the group alleged.
Walhi also ascertained that the strong ammonia stench was from the factory, and the toxic waste had spread to a radius of 30 kilometers which could affect 16 villages in the area.
A number of paddy fields located near the factory had become barren, fishermen reported their catches had dropped drastically, coconut plantations had completely failed and nothing grew when planted in the wetlands.
Most alarmingly, the investigation found the health of people in the surrounding community had deteriorated.
Walhi also acquired data indicating a dramatic increase in lung infection rates.
Coordinator of the investigation team, Almuherry, from the Society of Nature and Environment Lovers, stated the local administration should take stern action against the factory over its allegedly negligent waste management.
"If it is necessary, the factory should be closed down. At least until they are able to manage their toxic waste properly."
Members of the surrounding community asserted the factory had polluted the area for years. People say the factory dumps its toxic waste into the river each year, hoping it will be washed away in the rainy season.
PT IMCI's management compensated Rosimin's family with Rp 52 million and countered the allegations.
It explained that the cracks and leakage in its containment system were unintentional, caused by heavy rain leading to an overflow of water entering the containers.
The management also apologized to the community. It said it always paid serious attention to the waste management system despite its high cost. PT IMCI recently won the Sahwali Award for environmental consciousness in Denpasar, Bali,
It. also pointed out that its waste management analysis was approved before it began operations of the factory.
The containers have been reinforced with concrete which required the work of 10 to 15 men every day to complete the job.
The management argued the workers had never encountered the fume problem. They said that after about seven years of production there had been no poisonings in the area due to hazardous fumes from the factory, which has about 2,500 workers.