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)