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.