Suspected of Paper Mill Waste Contamination, Karawang DLH Tests River Water

Karawang (ANTARA) - The Karawang Regency Environmental Agency (DLH) in West Java is conducting laboratory tests on river water samples from Desa Kutanegara, Ciampel Subdistrict, suspected of being contaminated by waste from a paper mill after the water turned milky white. Head of DLH Karawang, Asep Suryana, contacted in Karawang on Friday, stated that his agency followed up on reports of the alleged river pollution by conducting field checks and collecting water samples for laboratory analysis. For the time being, they cannot undertake in-depth handling as they await the laboratory test results. “After taking the samples, we are still waiting for the laboratory test results. The estimated laboratory testing process takes around 14 days,” he said. Meanwhile, news of the river water turning milky white in Desa Kutanegara, Ciampel Subdistrict, Karawang, had previously circulated on social media. The discoloured water condition is suspected to be due to the discharge of liquid waste from a factory. One factory mentioned in a circulating video recording as polluting the river water in Desa Kutanegara is the paper mill PT Pindo Deli 4 (Sinarmas Group). This factory is located in Desa Mulyasari, Ciampel Subdistrict, Karawang. From the investigation, the source of the Citarum River water changing colour from brown to bluish-green originated from a discharge channel exiting from PT Pindo Deli 1’s wastewater outlet. At that time, residents also reported finding many fish in the river in an intoxicated state. DLH Karawang has addressed the alleged pollution by taking water samples and summoning the management of PT Pindo Deli 1.