Pumped-out liquid waste pollutes Cakung canal

Damar Harsanto and Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Pity the long-suffering residents of Cakung in Cilincing, North Jakarta -- the City Sanitation Agency is now pumping untreated liquid waste from a dump in their area straight into a canal nearby.

The Jakarta Post observed that a portable water pump with a large pipe had been sucking the murky liquid waste from the Rawa Malang dump into the drain.

"I've seen the activity (of extracting the liquid waste) yesterday. I am afraid the pollution will now spread to even wider areas," Edi Djubaidi, a fish farmer, whose farm has already been affected by runoff from the garbage, told the Post on Friday.

The liquid waste from the dump polluted nearby fish farms and killed thousands of fish and shrimps after the dump's opening on Jan. 4.

The agency's treatment of the liquid waste was completely different from its report in a hearing with the City Council's Commission D, overseeing development affairs on Tuesday.

Agency head Selamat Limbong told the councillors the agency would pump out the liquid waste and take it to the waste treatment plant.

"The agency will also build a wall around the dump to prevent the liquid waste seeping into the surrounding area," Limbong said at the hearing.

When his statement was checked with Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo, Bowo said Governor Sutiyoso had never told his subordinates to siphon the liquid waste into the drain.

"That is strictly prohibited. The Cakung drain is not supposed to be a dump (for liquid waste)."

He refused confirm if the administration would impose any sanctions on its official for violating the governor's order.

"We'll check first if the report is valid," he said.

Sutiyoso also did not want to comment.

"I don't know about such technical stuff. But the most important thing is that I have instructed my subordinates to ensure against (environmental) damage there," he said at City Hall after Friday prayers.

He went back on his earlier statement that the administration had paid compensation to fish farmers whose ponds were affected by the garbage.

"I have told the City Environment Management Body (BPLHD) head Kosasih Wirahadikusumah to check the severity of the (environmental) damage. Believe me, the administration will be responsible for the damage," Sutiyoso said.

Fish farmers have demanded the administration pay compensation amounting to Rp 774 million (US$92,033) -- the cost of the pollution that they say has ruined their businesses.

As of Friday, they had not received any money. The farmers said they were ready to take legal action if the administration refused to pay.