Owners of polluting firms will also be announced
JAKARTA (JP): To enforce companies to comply with environmental rules, the government will not only disclose to public the names of polluting companies but also the owners of the firms.
State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said yesterday that the move is aimed at forcing companies to keep the environment clean.
"If we have enough data...we'll announce them (polluting firms) so they will be a little more notorious," said Sarwono at a hearing with members of Commission X of the House of Representatives on environment.
Sarwono conceded it was difficult to check on most of factories largely because the owners are little known and difficult to meet.
"They are not the type of businessmen who are active in major forums, like the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or in seminars," said Sarwono.
"On the contrary, it is easy to approach well-known industry owners because they have reputations to safeguard," he said. "Meanwhile, there are many industries whose owners are also rich but uncivilized, and they seem to have no heart," Sarwono added.
He said that the ministry's Environmental Impact Assessment Agency (Bapedal) is compiling data on six companies which cause pollution.
The members reported that during their recent field trips, they found at least two textile factories in Tangerang, West Java, PT Jabatex and PT Indonesia Synthetic Textile Mills (Istem), discharged their waste without treatment into the Cisadane River.
In the meeting chaired by legislator Markus Wauran of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), the House members also discussed the issue on pollution by PT Freeport Indonesia Company in Timika, Irian Jaya, which they visited during the latest recess.
They noted that despite its effort to minimize pollution, "certain groups" still doubt the giant copper company's commitment to preserving the environment.
They did not name the groups but the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) is known to be one which is highly critical of the way PT Freeport handles its industrial waste.
The commission said PT Freeport's dumping of its tailings (ground natural rocks from which copper, gold and silver have been removed) into the nearby Aikjwa River is "the best way to prevent further environmental destruction."
Legislators argued that the tailings are not toxic as Walhi claims.
Sarwono did not comment on the controversy but said he regretted Freeport's delay in taking up his request to conduct an environmental audit.
The commission also observed that the local administration has not yet developed any program involving PT Freeport as a "facilitator" to improve the locals' well-being.
Sarwono pointed out that PT Freeport must realize that social and environmental problems in Timika are interrelated.
"Freeport cannot overlook social issues in its environmental management because the social problems are a direct or indirect result of Freeport's mining activities," he said.
"...In several aspects these issues are too large to be handled by Freeport alone, and this needs the assistance of the local administration," Sarwono added.
He noted that the rapid changes made by the development by PT Freeport has occurred in an area where the administrative infrastructure is far from ready. (anr)