Cisadane river severely polluted

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.