Pollution blacklist lacks power: Environment activist
Pollution blacklist lacks power: Environment activist
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya
An environmental activist lashed out on Thursday at State
Minister of the Environment Rachmat Nadi Witoelar
Kartaadipoetra's statement on five firms on the environment
office's pollution blacklist, saying it lacked power without the
involvement of East Java Governor Imam Utomo.
Chairman of nongovernmental organization ECOTON, Prigi
Arisanti, said the governor's involvement was essential as he was
one of the commissioners of the blacklisted companies PT Surabaya
Industri Estate Rungkut (SIER) and PT Pasuruan Industri Estate
Rembang (PIER).
"The East Java governor is the commissioner of PT SIER and PT
PIER, so how can the East Java Environmental Impact Management
Agency (Bapedal) dare to take action," Prigi said.
On Wednesday, Rachmat blacklisted eight companies among a
group of 42 polluters. Five of the eight are private companies in
Sidoardjo, East Java: PT SIER, PT PIER, PT Hanil Jaya Metal Baja,
PT Ispatindo and PT Jatim Taman Steel.
The other three are state-owned enterprises: paper producer PT
Kertas Padalarang and sugar factory Pabrik Gula Jati Tujuh, in
West Java; and paper producer PT Kertas Blabat in Central Java.
Prigi said the state minister's data showed the blacklisted
companies had caused serious environmental damage. PT SIER, for
instance, allegedly polluted fish ponds in Wonorejo area in
Surabaya, he added.
"But those companies even made Bapedal one of their advisors
on waste management, which is strange," he said.
He also said the state minister did not mention paper
producers in East Java, most of whom were allegedly polluters.
Based on ECOTON's data, paper producers PT Suparma in
Surabaya, PT Surabaya Agung Kertas in Surabaya, PT Adi Prima
Suraprinta in Gresik, PT Tjiwi Kimia in Sidoarjo and PT Surabaya
Meccabot in Surabaya are also polluters, he said.
Head of Bapedal's office in East Java Hartoyo, said his office
is still processing cases involving polluter companies in
cooperation with the Surabaya Police.
"We will process the cases, while Bapedal will contact the
Surabaya Police for their report on the investigation of the
companies," he said.
Responding to pollution allegations concerning PT SIER, he
said his office believed the company was a major culprit,
polluting the environment with solid waste produced by companies
under PT SIER.
"Solid waste produced by companies under PT SIER is polluting
the environment," Hartoyo said, adding that Bapedal is currently
conducting an analysis on the matter.
Meanwhile, three other private companies included on the
blacklist remained unwilling to comment.
Only PT SIER and PT PIER are considering taking legal action
over the minister's statement.
"We're still considering whether to sue the minister over the
released data," Wiji Sudarmi, head of the companies' general
affairs division, said on Thursday.
She said the companies had public support.
"Our relations with members of the community and
businesspeople are good, so we're not worried (about the
statement)," Wiji said.