Mandala airline crash pollutes water and air
Mandala airline crash pollutes water and air
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan
Residents living at the Mandala aircraft crash site in Medan were
warned by experts on Tuesday against consuming water from
artesian wells in the area since it is reportedly contaminated.
Head of Medan city's Environmental Health and Contagious
Diseases Prevention Office, Otniel Ketaren, issued the warning
following reports that many residents living at the crash site
still consumed water from wells while scavengers were still
hunting for leftover goods in the area.
He said that a day after the aircraft crashed into a densely
populated residential area in Padang Bulan last Monday, his
office and North Sumatra Health Office had inspected the area to
determine its impact on the residents' health.
The inspection revealed that water from artesian wells in the
area could no longer be consumed since it was contaminated by
chemical substances and bacteria coming from the corpses, he
said.
The contamination, he added, was found in water sources within
100 to 300 meters from the crash site.
"Water around the crash site has been contaminated and could
endanger people's health and cause diarrhea, dysentery and
typhus," Otniel told The Jakarta Post.
He estimated that the water could not be consumed for the next
six months, advising the residents to treat the water.
"The residents whose water sources are contaminated can treat
it with chlorine," Otniel said, adding his office and the
province's health office had sprayed the crash site area with
disinfectant.
The contamination, he said, would not affect piped tap water,
unless there was a leak in the water distribution pipes.
He warned that the chemical substances and bacteria could also
contaminate the air, exposing scavengers who were still searching
for leftover goods at the crash site to the risk of respiratory
infection or skin diseases.
A pharmacist from Medan Institute of Technology, M. Taufik,
confirmed the warning over water and air contamination brought
about by the crash, saying that the wreckage contained various
chemical compounds, including arsenic.
"If the compounds are handled, without wearing gloves, it's
feared it will cause various respiratory and skin ailments," said
Taufik, who is one of the forensic staff working at the crash
site.
Meanwhile, victims and relatives of residents, who were
injured or died when the aircraft crashed into a densely
populated residential area in Padang Bulan and killed 38 people
on the ground, received compensation from the Medan city
administration on Monday.
Yahya Ramli, 45, received Rp 15 million for his wife, who
suffered burns and is still being treated at Gleneagles hospital.
The man will also receive Rp 25 million for the loss of his
daughter and another Rp 25 million for the loss of his mother who
both died in the tragic accident.
"My wife doesn't know about the donation yet. I'll let her
know when she's fully recovered," said the man, who also has not
told his wife that their daughter and his mother died in the
crash.
The Medan city administration has distributed over Rp 1
billion to the families of residents who died and for those
injured in the accident, as well as those whose houses were
damaged in the crash.
"The donation was given specifically to the victims of the
accident," said Medan Mayor Abdillah who handed over the
donations.