Cisadane river severely polluted

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Thousands of residents in Tangerang regency living along the banks of the Cisadane river are at risk to various kinds of illnesses due to the high level of chemical and metal pollution in the river, a report has said.

Tangerang municipality's water utility, PDAM Tirta Darma, has announced that based on recent water tests it was found that chemical and metal contaminants, such as manganese, iron, ammonia and sodium, in the river had reached alarming proportions.

Elga, a member of the production staff at PDAM Tirta Darma, said that the hazardous chemicals contained in local tap water would build up in the human body and the effects would become apparent in five years.

These effects could take the form of skin diseases, digestive problems, kidney failure and various kinds of cancer.

Residents living along the riverbanks would be the worst affected as they used Cisadane's water for household purposes, she said.

More disturbing was the fact that water from the river naturally infiltrated into the wells of residents living along the river, said Elga, who was involved in the study.

The report is based on tests conducted on the Cisadane's water on Aug. 29 from around 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. by a joint team of officials from the regency's Environmental Agency, Health Agency, Tangerang municipality's PDAM Tirta Darma, and Tangerang regency's PDAM Tirta Kerta Raharja.

The study found that 11 companies producing various products, including ceramic goods, fibers, chemicals and textiles, had been dumping liquid waste into the river.

Muharam, the president of PDAM Tirta Darma, said that due to the pollution, water purification costs had increased significantly, and, if the problem continued, eventually tap water supply and distribution would be disrupted.

"If the pollution problem is not soon taken care of, the residents will suffer the most," he continued. However, he expressed doubts that the companies would be prosecuted.

He admitted that his company had not reported the unauthorized discharges to the police as it had been assumed that the regency's environmental agency would already have reported the incidents.

Meanwhile, Cecep Suhendar, the head of the environmental agency's waste control division, told The Jakarta Post that his agency had not yet received the water quality report.

"PDAM did the tests, and we have not yet received the results. How can we follow up on it if we haven't received the report?" he asked.