City has fish for to fry, but not to eat
Damar Harsanto, Jakarta
The Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) called on residents on Monday to temporarily stop consuming fish caught in Jakarta Bay. The call was made following media reports that thousands of fish and clams had been found dead over the weekend after being intoxicated by heavily polluted sea water.
"Please, for the time being, stop consuming fish and clams, especially those caught at Ancol since the intoxicated seafood could also endanger human lives," agency head Kosasih Wirahadikusumah told The Jakarta Post by phone.
He also warned those who had already consumed the intoxicated seafood to consult a doctor, particularly if they exhibited the symptoms of food poisoning.
"Stiffness of the tongue, fingers, toes -- which would be followed by vomiting, diarrhea, fever and breathing problems -- are among the symptoms," he said.
The media had reported that many residents living around Ancol beach had taken home dead fish after they found them lying on the beach. It is not clear yet whether they consumed the fish or sold them.
Kosasih divulged that his subordinates had monitored the sea water, while others completed a laboratory analysis on dead fish and polluted sea water.
He declined to speculate on the cause of the pollution, but hinted that the agency had discovered several "heavy metal substances" in the samples.
The BPLHD has long warned the government of the possible consequences of the pollution of Jakarta Bay, which is mostly due to industrial activity in northern parts of Jakarta.
Household and industrial waste thrown into the city's 13 rivers by careless residents ends up in Jakarta Bay.
The BPLHD also suspects several industrial plants located alongside Jakarta's northern coastal areas have contributed to the worsening pollution of Jakarta Bay, not to mention the high number of oil tankers that at times spill oil into the water.
Early in January this year, an oil spill allegedly caused by the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) rig in Thousand Islands regency was reported to the Jakarta Police. The National Police forensics laboratory analyzed samples of the oil spill, but no official result was announced.
Police had earlier submitted samples from an oil spill in the Thousand Islands on Jan. 12. Lab results showed that the acidity of the waters had a pH of 5.7, indicating that conditions were more acidic than usual. Normal acidity ranges between 6 and 9 pH.
Aside from industrial causes, the agency said it was also looking into another possibility: that the intoxication was the result of a population explosion of toxic algae, also known as the "red-tide phenomenon."
Meanwhile, Governor Sutiyoso said the administration had assigned the BPLHD to analyze the cause of the pollution.
"We will not jump to conclusions (on the cause of the pollution) nor take any action until we obtain the final result of the analysis," he asserted.