Siak water unfit for drinking

Siak water unfit for drinking

PEKANBARU, Riau: Water from the Siak River, long a source of clean water for the people of Riau, is unfit for drinking unless it is treated first, an environmental official said.

Said Abdurachman, head of the Riau population and environmental office, said industrial waste discharged into the Siak, which divides Pekanbaru, has polluted the water, Antara reported.

Boats using the river have been discharging fuel waste and domestic waste is also regularly dumped, he said.

He said the two largest plants that discharge their waste into the river have been installed with waste treatment facilities. He did not name the two companies, saying only that one is an oil company and the other is a pulp and paper plant. (emb)