RI rivers among dirtiest in world

RI rivers among dirtiest in world

MEDAN, North Sumatra: State Minister for Research and Technology M Hatta Rajasa said on Saturday some rivers in Indonesia, particularly those in Java, were among the dirtiest in the world as a result of the uncontrolled dumping of industrial waste.

He was speaking at a seminar on environmental management technology at the University of North Sumatra.

The minister said the condition of the rivers had much to do with the poor enforcement of environmental laws and the lack of awareness on the part of businesspeople of the necessity to preserve the environment.

The situation is exacerbated by the local communities' habit of dumping household waste into the rivers.

The minister mentioned the Citarum River in West Java as one of the most polluted waterways in the country. The river is 200 kilometers in length but only 10 kilometers is unpolluted. --Antara