Experts blame pollution of sea on lax management

Experts blame pollution of sea on lax management

P.C. Naommy and Theresia Sufa, Jakarta/Bogor

Environmentalists fear further devastating consequences of lax
waste management on marine and coastal areas nationwide, in the
wake of the deaths of thousands of fish in Jakarta Bay earlier
this year.

"The technology is there, but it isn't applied. Many
industries would simply choose to take the easy way by dumping
their waste into the sea to save money," said Ario Damar, a
researcher from the Bogor Institute of Agricultural (IPB) on the
sidelines of a environmental workshop at the Agency for the
Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) on Monday.

Researchers consider the dead fish phenomenon of last May a
warning from nature and not just "a natural occurrence", as
previously claimed by Governor Sutiyoso.

Research results from the Indonesian Institute of Science
(LIPI) blamed the red-tide phenomenon -- an increase in the
population of algae that result in oxygen depletion -- for the
deaths of fish and clams.

According to researchers from the IPB, the increase of the
algae could be caused by the increase of phosphates and nitrogen
-- nutrients needed by the algae -- which are suspected to be
coming from household waste, such as detergent and feces.

Another researcher from the IndoRepro-Indonesia Recycling and
Sanitation Program, M. Rudi Wahyono, said that the extreme algae
proliferation could also be caused by industrial toxic waste.

"The city administration seems to be defensive when it come to
the pollution caused by industries. They should take strong
measures against those companies," said Rudi.

Ario from the IPB added that the heavy metals could act as a
time bomb, such as events prior to the tragedy in Minamata,
Japan. "The company started to dump methyl mercury in the sea in
1946, but the disease, which was caused by mercury toxicosis,
started to flare up about 10 years after," he said.

Data from the World Bank in 2003 had put Indonesia, among
other countries in Asia, as the country with the poorest waste
management and sanitation system.

According to the World Bank, the economic loss due to damage
to the ecosystem has reached US$4.6 billion per year, or 2
percent of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Separately, Bogor LIPI expert Ahmad Jauhar Arief, revealed on
Monday that the uncontrolled dumping of industrial waste from
textile factories in South Bandung had killed thousands of fish
in Saguling dam.

"Moreover, excessive fish farming in the area has also
polluted the water," he said.

The dam is the source of a hydro-powered electricity plant
that powers part of Java island and Bali.

I-Box

Table of Heavy Metals found in Ancol and Dadap areas in Jakarta
Bay in mg/l

Heavy Metal Ancol Dadap Standard level

Lead(Pb) 0.120 0.093 0.008
Cadmium(Cd) 0.068 0.054 0.001
Copper(Co) 0.068 0.059 0.008
Mercury(Hg) 0.005 0.006 0.001

Source : The Center for Marine and Coastal Natural Resources
Study at IPB