Emil blasts Singaporean waste import

JAKARTA (JP): Former environment minister Emil Salim believes waste from Singapore's mass transport system being dumped in Riau province probably contains toxic and hazardous substances.

"Who could guarantee (its safety)? Could the guarantee really be accepted? Waste is always dirty. For whatever reason, there must be a strong assumption that the wastes contain B3 (toxins)," Emil told a seminar on the environment on Wednesday.

Emil was quoted by Antara as saying that the archipelagic province's administration designated one of its islands as a place to "accommodate" wastes.

He said a Singaporean colleague told him informally that Singapore paid billions of rupiah in compensation for the use of the island.

"My colleague spoke bluntly that the money is a kind of rent for the use of the island for Singapore's (waste)," he said.

"That is a impolite act."

Emil queried why an Indonesian island should be used as a dumping ground for another nation's waste.

Environmentalists are up in arms over the import of 15 million cubic meters of waste from Singapore. The Indonesian government claims it can be used as a medium to grow mangroves and replenish the coastal forests near Pelambung Bay in Karimun Besar, Riau, and earn the country Rp 100.8 billion in foreign exchange.

The import was facilitated by an agreement between the Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal) and Singapore's environment ministry.

The government insists the material is not toxic. If it is later found to be toxic, however, Singapore would be required to take it back under Indonesian environmental laws. (swe)