Jakarta Bay pollution

Jakarta Bay pollution

From Warta Kota

Unlike in the past, the North Jakarta regional environment
control agency has now openly admitted the presence of pollution
in Jakarta Bay, as recently reported in a Jakarta daily.

The pollution of Jakarta's coastal waters is nothing new, in
fact. Residents of Ancol subdistrict have for a long time
complained about the pollution in Jakarta Bay caused by cold
storage, steel, paint and glass industries in the area.

Despite public reports on the very offensive smell of the
contaminated water for as far as several miles off the coastline,
no measures have been taken except the so-called "sea cleaning"
program, in which fishermen are each paid Rp 100,000 for diesel
and Rp 1,000 per sack of trash that they collect.

The main problem is actually the pumping of untreated
industrial waste into the sea, so that the cleaning of Jakarta
Bay by fishermen is just a waste of money. The agency should stop
the pollution by strictly controlling industrial emissions and
refusing to compromise.

In my view, environmental pollution is more dangerous than
corruption and is a curse that we seem intent on bequeathing to
coming generations.

NURHAIPIN LA MANNA
Jakarta