Lippo Karawaci admits disposing of household, hospital waste in river
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
The Lippo Karawaci Town Development Management (TMD) company admitted that it was disposing of household and hospital waste into the Sabi River but insisted that the waste had been treated and was environmentally safe.
TMD Manager Wahyudi told several Tangerang regional councillors on Wednesday that household waste produced by Lippo Town residents and Siloam Gleneagles Hospital waste was dumped into the Sabi River in Tangerang after it was first treated in the compound.
The councillors were accompanied by head of the Tangerang environmental management agency Didin Samsudin. They conducted a field trip to Lippo Karawaci's Rp 3 billion (US$330,000) waste treatment plant.
Lippo environmental sanitation and waste treatment facility head Camelia Retno said just a small part of the treated waste was dumped into the Sabi river because most of the liquid waste was used to water plants in the housing complex's parks.
"During the rainy season, there is usually an increase in waste water volume but on average we process some 4,000 cubic meters of waste daily," Retno said.
Bayu Murdani, council deputy speaker who led the investigative team, said he had taken samples of the treated waste water to be examined at the Central Facility for Environmental Impact Analyses Control (Pusarpedal).
"We shouldn't just believe Lippo's claims at face value, and this is why we took some samples to be examined to determine whether the waste is really safe for the environment," he said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Kurtubi Su'ud, chairman of the Council Commission D for environmental issues said that councillors conducted a survey of Lippo's waste treatment facilities following reports that the company had yet to obtain permits for its waste treatment facility.
Bylaw No. 15/2004 on Waste Water Disposal Permit stipulates that all waste treatment facilities operated by industrial firms and housing estates must obtain permits from the administration.
TMD had applied for a permit soon after the media reports of its violation were published last month.
"We have given a permit for Lippo's treatment facility but the permit did not allow B3 waste of the Siloam Gleneagles Hospital to be treated in the facility," Cecep Suhendar, of the environment management agency told the Post.
He added that Siloam Gleneagles Hospital had yet to submit environmental impact analyses (Amdal) document to the agency although a new building for the hospital expansion had already been completed.
"Government Regulation (PP) No. 27 on Environmental Impact Analysis clearly stipulates that an Amdal document must be submitted to the agency before the management starts the construction," he said.