City has fish for to fry, but not to eat
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.