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)