Tangerang asks EU's help on pollution issues

Tangerang asks EU's help on pollution issues

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang

The Tangerang regency administration is seeking the assistance of
the European Union to help deal with devastating environmental
problems, including severe river pollution caused by industrial
waste and coastal erosion.

Regent Ismet Iskandar said that he had delivered the proposal
to visiting representatives from the European Union Parliament in
the hope of working in cooperation with individual EU member
countries.

"The cooperation framework includes dealing with coastal
erosion, the development of slum fishing villages, riverbank
management and environment monitoring," he said recently.

Ismet said representatives from the Netherlands had promised
to help address erosion problems while representatives from
several other countries would help deal with river pollution.

"As much as 70 percent of our 51-kilometer coastline faces
continuous erosion while Karang Serang village had been eroded
for a length of 200 meters to 1,000 meters per year," he added.

The administration has begun to monitor regularly the
Cisadane, Cirarab and Cimanceuri rivers, which have been heavily
polluted by industrial waste.

Separately, head of the regency's environmental management
agency Deden Sugandhi said only 29 of 120 industrial firms, whose
waste samples had been checked, had installed proper waste
treatment facilities.

He added that his agency had found high levels of mercury in
rivers flowing through the regency.

To cope with these problems, the administration plans to build
several integrated waste treatment facilities, with a priority in
industrial zones.

"This is only a short-term solution. Small-scale factories can
use the facilities as well," Deden said.

He added the agency was still preparing the engineering design
for the waste treatment facilities.