Fish farmers irate over pollution emanating from new dump

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Aquaculturist Asmawi, 50, sat next to his three-hectare fish farm located near the newly opened dump in Cilincing, North Jakarta, staring into the now empty ponds.

"How could I not be sad? Liquid waste from the dump has killed all my shrimp and milkfish. Now, I must bury my dream of raking in over Rp 20 million (US$2,380) from the farm at harvest time," Asmawi told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He is among dozens of fish farmers whose business has been affected by the dump which was opened on Jan. 5 by the city administration, following the closure of a 104-hectare dump in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi municipality, a day earlier.

The fish farmers just placed the fry in the farms two months ago and expected a big harvest next month.

The Post observed that putrid black liquid from the dump had run through the 15-hectare swampy fish farms through the canals built in the center of the ponds. The liquid waste killed all the shrimp and fish, including mujair fish which usually are less affected by pollutants.

The stench of the liquid waste could be smelled up to a radius of six kilometers from the area.

Another fish farmer, Nur Soleh, 25, said that he had spent some Rp 1.1 million on the fry. "I hope the city administration will compensate me for all my losses and my expected Rp 15 million profit."

According to Asmawi, an official from the Jakarta Livestock, Fisheries, and Maritime Agency, had come to the fish farms to take a sample of the dead fish and polluted water.

Asmawi expressed disappointment over Governor Sutiyoso's comment he read in a daily, which quoted him as saying that fish farmers had lied about the polluted fish farms. "The governor should come here so that he can see for himself that our fish really are dead."

Compared to the Bantar Gebang dump which used the sanitary landfill system, environmental damage resulting from Cilincing dump is much worse because the garbage is piled high on open land without being processed. Moreover, Cilincing dump is located on a wetland which easily absorbs and spreads liquid waste to the surrounding areas.

The administration plans to use the dump for four months, claiming that it requires no special waste management as it is only temporary. Meanwhile, the garbage mound has now reached nearly 10-meters high, spreading a stench in all directions.