Emil blasts Singaporean waste import

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)