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.