Complaints on dirty river go unheeded

Complaints on dirty river go unheeded

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Hundreds of villagers in Leuwiliang district, Bogor, have
suffered from scabies after using water from the Cikaniki River
to bathe.

The villagers are forced to use water from the river because
of a water shortage in the area.

"I am very angry about the state of the river, but I have to
use water from the river because I can't draw any water from my
well," said Nisah, 40.

"The adults can deal with the scabies, but the children cannot
sleep at nights because of the itching," she said.

Zulaeha, who runs the Nurul Iman Islamic boarding school, said
the situation was disrupting the school.

"After washing plates in the river, there are always yellowish
spots on them. And my students cannot sleep at night because they
itch all over their bodies from the scabies," she said.

The villagers allege that the river has been polluted by
liquid waste from the PT Bentonit paint factory.

Officials at the factory could not be reached for comment.

Suri, 42, the head of community unit 05 in Parungsinga
subdistrict, said villagers had filed official protests with the
management of PT Bentonit, but had not received a positive
response.

However, Leuwiliang district head Tedy Tembang said he had not
received any reports of pollution caused by the factory.

He said the factory's liquid waste treatment facility was in
good condition and operated properly.

He said officials from the district and Bogor regency
environmental offices had inspected the factory's liquid waste
treatment facility.

"I have no idea why villagers are complaining about the
alleged pollution of the river," Tedy said.