Rawabuaya residents upset by contamination of water

Rawabuaya residents upset by contamination of water

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of Rawabuaya residents in West Jakarta
are angry that their wells, from which water is drawn for
cooking, drinking and washing, have been for several weeks
contaminated by unknown chemicals, subdistrict head Maulana said
Wednesday.

According to Maulana, the water, which has turned yellow and
has a strong odor, has been polluted by toxic waste believed to
have been dumped by a nearby biscuit factory.

"The residents said they get itchy red marks on their bodies
and could not stop scratching after consuming the water," he told
The Jakarta Post.

"They also said the water is very smelly, and that the bad
smell comes out of the wells and prevents them from sleeping,"
Maulana added.

"Washing clothes with that water is also impossible. It's
soapy and might harm the skin."

The contamination was first detected last month when dozens of
residents found their bodies itchy after bathing with water taken
from wells.

Maulana explained that the residents had submitted their
complaint to the company on Feb. 7 but did not receive any
response from the factory's management.

The case was then brought to the West Jakarta public order
office.

Journal Siahaan, who heads the office, said West Jakarta
public officials had investigated the matter and had concluded
that the factory, owned by PT Migro Brothers, was responsible for
the pollution of the groundwater in the Rawabuaya area.

"The West Jakarta public order office has already dispatched
an urgent letter to the factory owner to appear at the West
Jakarta mayoralty office on Thursday (today)," Journal said.

Journal added that the investigation is still going on to
determine how and for how long the factory has dumped its toxic
waste in the area.

"So far we've received similar complaints from at least four
neighborhood units." he said.

Only a wall separates the communities from the factory, he
said.

When contacted on Wednesday, none of the factory's executives
were willing to comment on the matter.

In another related development on Wednesday, hundreds of
residents of the Pulogadung and Rawa Terate area in East Jakarta
and the neighboring Pegangsaan area in North Jakarta voiced
complaints that the air was heavily polluted with sulfur.

According to Rawa Terate subdistrict head Sukrawinata, the
pollution is caused by sulfur released into the atmosphere by PT
Mahkota Indonesia, a chemical factory in the neighborhood.

"It's definitely sulfur in the air. It has caused breathing
problems, vomiting and bad coughs among residents," he told the
Post.

Sukrawinata said residents had been suffering from the sulfur
pollution for almost two weeks.

"They could not stand the smell any longer and went to the
factory on Jl. Raya Bekasi, Pegangsaan, on Monday," he said.

But they were blocked by the factory's security guards, he
said.

Just like Migro Brothers, none of the company's management
could be reached for comment.

The smelly air also affected passengers at the city's major
Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta.

A senior official at the terminal, who asked not to be named,
said: "People getting on and off the buses here have to cover
their noses and faces with handkerchiefs although the factory is
about three kilometers away.

"I myself try not to go out of my office here too often," he
said.

Abujoewono, secretary of the Jakarta's chapter of the National
Environment Protection Agency, said his office would investigate
the cases and promised to take stern measures against the
companies. (ylt)