Resident makes money from oil pollution

Resident makes money from oil pollution

Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

People normally make a living from a river by catching and
selling the fish that live in it, but in Kampung Sawah, Pulo
Gadung, Andi, 56, sops up and sells the oil and diesel fuel that
pollutes the small river that runs past his house.

The river shines black with oil and fuel from the factory of
PT Jakarta Cakratunggal Steel Mills, which stands a few meters
from his house.

Every day, Andi places wide sponges on the water's surface to
absorb the oil and fuel. He then squeezes the sponges over a
drum, where Andi stores the oil and fuel before selling it for Rp
50,000 for 200 liters.

"Usually I can sop up the oil and fuel and fill up to three
200-liter drums every week," he said.

He said that when the steel factory was especially busy, he
could fill up to five drums a week and earn up to Rp 1 million a
month.

And once every three months the river is so polluted Andi can
fill 20 drums in a week. He suspects this happens when the
factory is servicing its machinery.

During the busy times his wife helps him with the work.

The idea of sopping up fuel from the polluted river popped up
seven years ago, when the river caught fire.

Andi said a resident was burning his garbage when a fire
sparked up in the middle of the river and crept up to the
factory, following the line of diesel fuel.

Residents realized there was an ample amount of diesel fuel in
the river and begin skimming it off the top of the water.

"Back then I collected a liter of fuel and brought it to some
workshops a kilometer from here. Apparently, they liked it and
continued to buy it," Andi said.

He said he had no idea what the fuel he collected was used
for. However, it is no secret that there are a number of fake oil
producers who sell their products in the market.

Andi now has a regular buyer, who comes to his house to buy
his collected fuel.

When he started the business six years ago, there were lots of
other residents collecting fuel from the river, but Andi is the
only person still at it.

"Maybe the others aren't patient enough or can't stand the
dirty river," he said.

As the Post observed, besides oil and fuel the river is also
filled with garbage and who knows what else.

So far, though, Andi can't complain about his health. However,
he said he wouldn't use the water for washing or bathing.

Nevertheless, some residents of Kampung Sawah use the river
water to irrigate their rice fields, the harvests from which are
sold in their hometown of Karawang, West Java.

So for anyone who buys rice in Karawang, bon appetite.