PT Petrowidada to resume operations in March
The Jakarta Post, Gresik, East Java
A chemical factory that exploded into flames last month, killing three people and injuring 58, will reopen, its management says, despite strenuous opposition from nearby residents.
PT Petrowidada, the owner of the petro-chemical plant in Gresik, East Java that produces plastics, said on Saturday the plant would start production again sometime in March.
The factory has been closed since Jan. 20, when a fire gutted several chemical tanks on the premises, killing three workers, injuring 58, and polluting the surrounding area.
"The factory will resume operations because we have to meet the production targets of plastic raw materials demanded by our customers," operations director Yudianto Kosman said.
While the fire gutted several chemical tanks, others on the factory's premises would be operational soon, he said. The company was continuing to repair the tanks affected by the fire.
Yudianto said the reopening of the plant had received support from Minister of Trade and Industry Rini M.S. Soewandi, who visited the factory after the fire.
The fire is the largest recorded to have hit a chemical factory in Indonesia. Fifty-eight survivors of the fire have received treatment in hospitals, many with severe chemical burns.
Witness said there were two loud explosions before a huge fire ball erupted from several chemical tanks. The fire, which destroyed dozens of nearby cars and motorbikes, caused a thick chemical smoke that covered parts of the city and hurt residents' eyes. Nearby streams feeding into settlements caught fire or boiled with chemical residue.
PT Petrowidada, which produces the raw plastic materials phthalic anhydride (PA) and maleic anhydride (MA), is a subsidiary of petrochemical company PT Petrokimia, one of Indonesia's biggest petrochemical groups.
Local residents and environmental activists have strongly opposed the company's plan to resume operations.
Residents said they were still traumatized by the recent fire. "Although they have repaired the factory, there is no guarantee the incident will not happen again. Besides, the reopening of the factory will aggravate the pollution in our area," said Agus, a local resident.
Wartono, an activist from environmental group Pattiro, demanded the company install strict safety systems to avoid more fires and further pollution in the future. "Without a strict safety system and better chemical waste management, the factory should not resume operations soon," Wartono asserted.
East Java Provincial Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said the company should pay for a study to decide whether the factory was ready to resume operations.