Facts About Cisadane River Contamination: Fish Smell of Diesel

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia – The Cisadane River in the greater Tangerang area has been contaminated following a pesticide factory fire in the South Tangerang area on February 9. Numerous fish have died and give off a pungent smell, described by residents as resembling diesel fuel.

Roni (52), a resident of Tangerang City, admitted he had eaten fish caught from the river before the health department issued a ban on consuming fish from the Cisadane. Roni said the consumption ban only reached residents on Monday at around 11:00 p.m. local time.

“At first there was no advisory, so I just ate it like normal — what’s it going to taste like, right? Then there was this diesel smell. Already cooked it, and even after cooking it still smelled like diesel,” Roni said when met at the Cisadane River in Tangerang City on Friday (2/13).

Roni said the taste of the fish was unchanged. Only the smell was quite strong.

“The fish tasted fine, it’s just that smell. That’s what made it unpleasant — scary, really. So we stopped eating it. The advisory came from the neighborhood heads at 11 p.m., so what can you do, you just accept it. The fish were all cleaned, already in tubs, already in the freezer, everything — one or two tubs’ worth all thrown out,” he said.

Despite having eaten the fish, Roni said he has not experienced any significant health complaints so far. He even joked about his condition.

“Nothing, any effects like that would probably just show up in bowel movements. If you ask about dizziness — let me put it this way: ‘I’m dizzy every day just from having no money,’ that’s the answer. That’s what we say when we’re frustrated. Yeah, hopefully everything will be fine, sir,” he said.

The pesticide factory in Taman Tekno, Setu, South Tangerang, caught fire on January 9. The fire is suspected to be the cause of the Cisadane River contamination. Reports indicated that the color and smell of the river water changed, and many fish were found floating after the incident. The fish are believed to have died from pesticide exposure.