N. Jakarta mayor berates negligent factory owners

N. Jakarta mayor berates negligent factory owners

JAKARTA (JP): North Jakarta Mayor Suprawito has threatened to
take stern action against factories which recklessly dump their
waste into rivers.

The owners would have their factories' waste treatment
facilities closed if they ignored notification letters from the
mayoralty, Suprawito said Monday.

"I will only close down the factories's waste treatment
facilities because I have no authority to stop the operation of
the factories," Suprawito told The Jakarta Post.

He warned the factories' owners not to underestimate the
sanction however, as it would effectively also mean the closure
of the factory's whole operation.

Once action is taken, the negligent factories would be closely
monitored by the mayoralty's officers. And if the owners were
still stubborn, Suprawito said, he would consult with
representatives of other related institutions to seek harsher
punishment.

"This action is badly needed to help maintain the river
cleanliness program called Prokasih.

"The cleanliness program is vital for North Jakarta, which
functions as the main gate for the Tanjung Priok port and the
nearby coast," Suprawito said.

He said that in the past warning letters had usually been
ignored.

Waste

"The factories only obey the rules when official operations
against them are launched. Apart from then, most of them continue
to directly dumb their waste into the rivers without any
treatment," he said.

The river cleanliness program, which was introduced eight
years ago, applies to 13 rivers, including the Sunter, Cakung,
Grogol, Banjir Kanal, Ancol, Ciliwung, Sentiong, Blencong and
Angke rivers.

The program's activities include monitoring water cleanliness
to ensure fluid waste levels remain under the acceptable limit.

The maximum waste level for an integrated textile factory, for
example, is 125 cubic meters per ton of textile product.

The implementation of the program is based on Gubernatorial
Decree No 582/1995, which states companies must develop waste
treatment facilities, check and report on their waste to the City
and Environment Study Office every three months.

The decree also states that industrial areas are to be checked
regularly by city officials. (07)