Police to investigate pollution from waste

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Although residents have long complained about pollution from the city's temporary dump in Rawamalang, Cilincing, North Jakarta, and the issue has made headline news since early January, the police have finally decided to investigate the case.

"We will send our team to Cilincing next week to seek evidence of pollution," Jakarta Police resources and enviromental division chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ahmad Haydar said on Tuesday. "We will take samples from the ground water at the dump."

The probe may come too late, as the city administration closed the dump last month after the Office of the State Minister of the Environment and urban activists revealed that the surrounding area had been polluted by toxic liquid waste from the dump.

The seepage had killed fish and shrimps farmed by locals in the vicinity of the dump.

Haydar said that if the city administration was found to be responsible for dumping garbage without the proper treatment, officials could face a maximum fifteen years in prison for violating Article 41 of the environment law.

"However, if the city administration resolved the matter properly, police would not take further action," he added.

On Feb. 9, the administration had admitted to temporarily dumping garbage without the proper procedure there.

City spokesman Muhayat said that the administration had begun to rehabilitate the area, with assistance from the sanitation, fishery and public works agencies.

The city also promised to fulfill the farmers demand to compensate them. Some fish farmers said they had lost millions of rupiah as their harvests would be smaller than usual. However, as of Tuesday, the residents claimed they had not seen any evidence that the administration was true to its word.