'Toxic pollutants must be phased out'

'Toxic pollutants must be phased out'

BANDUNG (JP): The use of chemicals containing persistent
organic pollutants in the agricultural and industrial sectors
must be phased out before they cause irreparable damage to the
country's marine resources, a government official said Saturday.

"Persistent organic pollutants need a very long time to
decompose. They should no longer be used in our industrial and
agricultural sectors," said Soeriaatmadja, the minister of
environment's assistant for global environment affairs.

He cited as an example the widespread use of Dichloro Diphenyl
Trichloro-ethanes (DDT) as an agricultural insecticide.

It takes an average of 11 years for the substance to decompose
and not be harmful to human beings and other organisms, he told
reporters.

Soeriaatmadja was in town to address a seminar on how to
improve the environment at the Bandung Institute of Technology.

He reminded decision makers in the government that toxic
pollutants are easily spread by water. "Make sure that the
pollution levels do not exceed the tolerable limit in our
rivers."

He said the Center for Oceanography Research at the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences (LIPI) is currently researching organic
pollutants.

Soeriaatmadja said that those in the fields of industry and
agriculture should begin using materials which pose less threat
to the environment for economic reasons as well.

"It will be very difficult for our industrial and agricultural
products to compete with similar products from other countries
that have turned to environmentally friendly materials," he said.

He added that Indonesia is a signatory to the international
agreement on protecting the marine environment from land-based
activities.

The agreement was signed by 133 countries in Washington last
November.(17/imn)