Household waste pollutes Jakarta Bay: Agency
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Pollutants emanating from onshore are the largest contributors to the pollution of Jakarta Bay while there has been as yet no significant effort made by government agencies and the community to manage waste effectively, the head of Jakarta's Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedalda) said on Tuesday.
Waste, mostly of the household variety, carried by the rivers flowing through the city, eventually flows into the sea resulting in damage to the marine environment.
"Garbage and pollutants from households and industry must be dealt with seriously. This is urgent ... the water quality of Jakarta Bay is declining by the day," Kosasih Wirahadikusumah, the head of the agency told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a two-day Clean Coasts and Marine Conservation seminar.
The agency's research reveals that Jakarta's rivers are filled with domestic waste as there is almost 3 million cubic meters of garbage per year dumped into them by slum dwellers all over the city. The waters of Jakarta Bay are also polluted with ammonia and phenol.
The slum residents appear to have little knowledge about waste management and are unconcerned about the impact of their behavior.
"It is important to educate them on this matter and increase their awareness," said Yunani Kartawirya, the chief of Bapedalda's Environmental Control Section.
Meanwhile, commercial enterprises along the Jakarta coastline, including hotels, ports and chemical plants, pollute the waters with liquid chemical waste as well as oil spills from vessels using the ports.
This has detrimentally affected fish and seaweed in the Kepulauan Seribu (Seribu Islands) where most of the residents are traditional fishermen.
"Because of the pollution, the fish are scarce now. We have to go all the way to Natuna or Bali waters," said Fuady, a fisherman from the Seribu Islands.
According to Bapedalda data, the pollution in the Kepulauan Seribu consists of garbage, metals, oil and the presence of red tide.
"Some of us used to grow and sell seaweed, but because of the pollution we have had to give that up," Fuady said.
The seminar also highlighted research reported in the health Ministry's magazine in 1997 which revealed that fish, oysters, crabs, squid and other types of seafood sold at the Muara Angke and North Jakarta fish markets were contaminated with lead and copper.
It is the sea food sold at these markets that is mostly consumed by Greater Jakarta residents, as seafood exports from Jakarta Bay are often rejected by other countries due to their poor quality.
Thus far, there have been no reports of poisoning resulting from the consumption of sea food purchased at the Muara Angke or North Jakarta fish markets.