Palyja ensures water from Cisadane is safe
Palyja ensures water from Cisadane is safe
JAKARTA (JP): Private water company Pam Lyonnaise Jaya
(Palyja) ensured the public on Wednesday that treated water from
the Cisadane River was safe for consumption.
The company's technical operations manager Pierre Etienne
Segre said the company had taken samples of water from the
Cisadane River to the Tirta Cisadane laboratory to have them
checked.
Noting that the company had also conducted its own test by
sending water samples to the head office in France, Segre said
the result was not much different from that of the previous test,
which recorded mercury levels of 0.0025 ppb (part per billion),
the lowest level detectable.
"Of course, a pollution risk does exist but it is very low,"
he said, stressing the preparations his company had made and its
experience in managing pollution.
Segre made the remarks during the inauguration of the
company's water distribution center and reservoir in Kebon Jeruk,
West Jakarta.
His remarks were aimed at clarifying recent reports that water
from the Cisoka and Cikaniki estuaries, which flow into the
Cisadane, had been contaminated with mercury due to the growing
number of illegal gold mining activities in Cipongkor, Bogor, in
the wake of economic crisis that hit the country in late 1997.
"The water is good and the result is almost zero as has been
proven by the tests conducted in the two laboratories," he said,
adding that his company would nevertheless conduct periodic tests
to ensure the quality of the water.
He warned, however, that the water could face higher risks of
pollution of mining operations in the area increased.
Mercury is widely used by miners in Cipongkor to separate gold
ore from sand. Many of them, however, are not aware of the safety
measures needed when using the toxic chemical.
Hearing
The issue of mercury-polluted water was raised in a hearing
with the Commission D of West Java Provincial Legislative Council
and the Environment Control Agency on Feb. 9 in Bandung.
The mercury level was earlier detected at 3.33 ppb, three
times higher than the safe maximum level of 1 ppb. With such a
high mercury content, all living organisms are affected by the
toxic substance, which can cause health hazards to people who
consume fish from the water.
Meanwhile, while touching on water tariffs, the company's
spokesperson, Uraini Umarjadi, said the provincial legislative
council gave the final decision on tariffs, while the company
only gave a recommendation.
She explained that the company served 230,000 customers in the
western part of Jakarta, an increase of 30,000 customers from two
years ago when the company took over the operations from city-
owned PAM Jaya. (06)