Bengawan Solo water unsafe for consumption
Bengawan Solo water unsafe for consumption
Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta
Experts and officials have warned of serious environmental damage
in Surakarta, Central Java, and the six neighboring regencies of
Sragen, Boyolali, Klaten, Sukoharjo, Wonogiri and Karanganyar.
Besides decreasing the quality of the soil and depleting water
reserves, pollution in the Bengawan Solo River and smaller rivers
has made their water unsafe for irrigation or human consumption.
Research conducted last year by the Sragen environmental
office found high concentrations of heavy metals like lead,
cadmium and copper in rice irrigated with water from the Bengawan
Solo River.
Concerned about the environmental damage, officials of local
regency and municipal administrations, and members of local
legislative councils, met last Monday in Surakarta and agreed to
work together to battle the problem.
The meeting, initiated by the Office of the State Minister for
the Environment and the Surakarta Environmental Parliament Watch
(EPW), discussed various issues.
It ended with an agreement to draw up integrated environmental
policies involving local administrations, councils and non-
governmental organizations.
"The legislative councils have not been active enough in
dealing with environmental issues in their regions. As a result,
the extent of the damage has increased, while the public are
victims," EPW researcher Agus Dody Sugiartoto told The Jakarta
Post.
He said pollution in the Bengawan Solo River was mainly caused
by waste dumped into the river by factories located along its
banks in Surakarta and Karanganyar regency.
The two regencies are home to dozens of textile factories as
well as some 300 other plants that produce chemicals, monosodium
glutamate and pesticides, in addition to a number of batik
factories that release chlorine and dyes into the river.
Agus Said said the EPW planned to conduct a survey of the
water quality in the Bengawan Solo and a number of smaller rivers
that run through Surakarta and Karanganyar. The survey will be
specifically aimed at identifying all of the types of waste in
the rivers.
The results of the survey could be used by Surakarta tap water
company, which plans to supply customers with water from the
Bengawan Solo.
Forest destruction, including on the slopes of Mount Lawu and
Mount Merbabu-Merapi, was also discussed during Monday's meeting,
during which councillors acknowledged that Surakarta had no bylaw
to stop the environmental damage.
"Almost the whole of Boyolali regency is constantly being hit
by drought. Many forests that functioned as water catchment areas
have been cleared by residents, but there is no bylaw banning
this practice," said Boyolali councillor Anshor Budiono.
Surakarta legislative member Eko Sutopo voiced similar
concerns, saying numerous cases of pollution in rivers had not
been dealt with properly.
Surakarta environmental office head Handartono admitted said
he was powerless to take action against businesspeople whose
factories polluted the rivers.
"The level of pollution in Surakarta is very alarming. We
cannot do much about it, though, because the relevant agencies
have yet to arrive at a similar vision on environmental
management," he said.
Deputy environmental minister Arie Djoekardi, who attended the
meeting, said his office was only able to encourage regional
administrations to draft bylaws to protect the environment.
"Our task is largely to prepare data and support policies by
local administrations, so they will establish a cooperation on
the environment," he said.