NGOs urge river free of home factories

NGOs urge river free of home factories

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Tangerang's main river, the Cisadane, is now lined with clusters
of home factories, which has prompted environmentalists to demand
the regency administration to get rid of the buildings and return
the riverbanks to their previous function as green areas.

Gema Palu, a non-governmental organization focusing on
environmental protection, revealed on Thursday the result of its
recent survey that showed a large number of buildings on the
riverbanks were established without permits from the
administration.

Dozens of the factories there operate without the required
permits from the administration nor do they have proper waste
treatment, said Gema Palu chairman, Mansur.

"We urge the administration to take action and sort out the
illegal businesses and factories along the river because they are
violating the law," he said.

The home factories produce a range of products from plastic
bags and fiber goods to plates and motorboats.

As the businesses there were essentially illegal, according to
Mansur, they did not contribute to the regency tax revenue "but
continued to make money on public property, while polluting the
river".

In the survey, some of the factories claimed they had obtained
permits from the Coordinating Unit for Technical Control for the
Ciliwung-Cisadane Rivers (KUPTSCC), formerly the Banten
Provincial Coordinating Body for Ciliwung-Cisadane River Areas
Control (BPSDA).

But head of Tangerang KUPTSCC, Suparno, said the body had
never issued such a permit. "We've already asked the
administration to evict them," he added.

Head of Tangerang environmental impact management agency Deden
Sugandhi promised to put things back in order and to cope with
problems emerging along the riverbanks.

"We will take over the case under coordination with the
KUPTSCC and Gema Palu," he said.

However, Deden was unable to give an exact date that his
agency would take action against the illegal buildings and
factories, saying that he would also need to coordinate with
other bureaucrats from the trade and industry agency, the spatial
and building layout agency and the manpower agency.