Muara Tawar plant blamed for fish kill
Muara Tawar plant blamed for fish kill
Wahyuana, The Jakarta Post, Bekasi
When thousands of fish began dying in fishponds in North Bekasi
in April, residents pointed the finger of blame at the state-
owned Muara Tawar geothermal power plant, accusing it of causing
water, air and noise pollution.
Realizing the delicacy of the situation, the Bekasi City
Council has established a team to investigate the matter.
"We will check the complaints filed by residents who live near
the power plant in Taruma Jaya .... They claim the plant's liquid
waste contaminated their fishponds.
"We will look for a win-win solution because of the paramount
importance of the power plant," council speaker Saadudin said.
Residents of Taruma Jaya, some 10 kilometers east of North
Jakarta, have staged frequent protests against the plant. The
latest was on April 27, when residents burned tires outside the
plant.
Segara Jaya subdistrict head Romly said residents opposed the
plant from the time it opened a year ago, just 20 meters from
their neighborhood.
"We cannot stand the noise it makes ... I just want the power
plant to stop that noise," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
During a meeting on Thursday, residents said the power plant
management failed to offer any solutions to the problems.
Plant spokesman Taufik Noor told the Post the management
expected to finish enclosing the plant's generators within up to
20 centimeters of foam rubber by the end of this year, which he
said would cut down on the noise of the plant.
"The company will also introduce development programs for the
community, such as free health care and vaccinations for babies
and job training for unemployed young residents."
The management plans to extend the plant by about 16.5
hectares to the east.
"We will open new blocks and operate more generators to
increase the power supply by 400 megawatts. We expect the new
facility to begin operations in the middle of 2007," Taufik said.
Owned by state electricity company PLN, the power plant has
four facilities producing 800 megawatts of power for Java and
Bali. The plant began operations in October 2004.