Botanical Garden ponds polluted

Botanical Garden ponds polluted

BOGOR: Hundreds of deer at the Presidential Palace in Bogor
and plants in the neighboring Botanical Gardens were under threat
due to pollution from household wastewater, management of the
West Java gardens said Tuesday.

The head of general affairs at the Plant Conservation Office
at the gardens, Dachriyani Mardi, said the liquid wastes first
entered the Gunting pond, located at the rear of the Presidential
Palace.

"The Gunting pond is the main water resource for the ponds in
the Botanical Gardens, whose water is now polluted," Dachriyani
said. Hundreds of palace deer also drank water from the Gunting
pond.

He said the Botanical Gardens had four ponds, namely Putri
Astrid pond, II Q pond, the mosque pond and mBah Jepra pond.

"We use the pond water for the plants in the garden, but now
the water is very dirty. Not only liquid wastes have polluted the
Gunting water pond, but also dead animals. The orchids are in
danger," he said.

So far there has been no explanation from the Bogor
administration about the pollution.

Dachrijani said the situation could deteriorate with the
arrival of the dry season, saying the garden lacked water for the
plants despite an artesian well built last year. --JP