Industrial waste fouls Tangerang river, canal

Industrial waste fouls Tangerang river, canal

TANGERANG (JP): Water used and consumed by residents living
along the banks of the Cisadane River and Mookervaart canal here
has been badly contaminated by at least 43,000 cubic meters of
industrial waste per day, an official said Monday.

Head of the Environment Unit of the Tangerang Municipality
Office, M. Harun, said the solid and liquid waste dumped in the
two streams was believed to contain poisonous substances.

"When the contamination level is not under control, the water
could be life threatening because it's used as the main source
for the Tangerang Water Company (PDAM) as well as for household
needs and agricultural functions," he said.

Harun, however, did not elaborate further about the "poisonous
substances" in the water, nor even his office's latest finding on
the quality of the water in the river and the canal.

He just said that the real volume of industrial waste disposed
of in the river and the canal was even greater than the 43,000
cubic meters daily from 161 industrial companies and three
hospitals.

Out of the 1,061 industrial firms operating in the
municipality, his office had so far inspected 305 companies,
particularly large-scale industries, Harun explained.

"The big companies have greater potential to pollute the
environment, such as by dumping their industrial waste during
evening hours," he added.

Harun did not give the names of the companies but said that he
and his team would visit the state-owned Tangerang General
Hospital, the Sitanala leprosarium and Sari Asih hospital in the
next few days.

His office, he said, had received complaints from the public
about the hospital waste dumped in the Cisadane River.

According to Harun, a company in Tangerang needs "only between
Rp 13 million and Rp 15 million" to obtain the required papers.

But the firm would have to invest heavily, possibly to the
tune of Rp 3 billion, for the installation of a waste water
processing unit, he said. (41/bsr)