Residents cry foul over pollution

Marilin, The Jakarta Post, Depok

Residents of Curug subdistrict, Cimanggis district, Depok, have complained about pollution in the nearby Rawa Kalong pond that killed thousands of their fish last October.

They also questioned the Depok municipality administration's seriousness in handling the matter, particularly after their last meeting when officials told residents to stop fish farming in the pond.

One resident, Benny, 58, said the administration should try to find a solution to the problem.

"The administration should take stern action against those who dumped liquid waste into the pond instead of calling on us to stop fish farming there. The pond is a source of water for residents," he said on Thursday.

A neighborhood unit chief, Edy Rustiyanto, 64, said residents only wanted to help the administration monitor pollution in the pond.

"If they don't dare punish the violators, what can we do? It's strange that the administration has turned a blind eye to this environmental damage," he said.

When The Jakarta Post visited the pond on Thursday, the water was brownish and there was a thick, foul smelling green liquid on the banks of the pond.

A study by the Jakarta Sanitation Technical Body on Nov. 17, 2003, found that liquid waste from PT Triple Ace's soap factory contained higher rates of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) than allowed under West Java gubernatorial decree No. 6/1999 on the environment.

The COD rate from the factory was 330 milligrams per liter, higher than the safety standard of 300 mg/l, according to the study.

Water samples taken from the residents' fish farming pond on Nov. 7, 2003, showed BOD level was 25.65 mg/l, higher than the normal level of 12 mg/l, while the COD was 170 mg/l compared to the safety standard of 100 mg/l.

The study concluded that the water in the Rawa Kalong pond was heavily polluted and would endangered living creatures.

Depok City Secretary M. Harris said the municipality had requested assistance from the Office of the State Minister for the Environment to investigate the case.

PT Triple Ace could not be contacted for comment and security guards prevented the media from entering the factory's compound.