Viral Video of Shrimp Farm Waste Discharged into Sea, NTB Provincial Government Tests Foamy Water in Lab
A video showing the discharge of foamy wastewater from a shrimp farm polluting the waters off Sambik Elen Beach, Bayan District, North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), has gone viral on social media. The 29-second video was uploaded by the Facebook account @Putra Sordayi.
“Please, Mr Sambik Elen Village Head, tell the shrimp farm to the east not to let its pipe spray like this. We fishermen are struggling to find fish, please,” said the man in the video, as seen by detikBali on Wednesday (19/8/2026).
Based on the video, a pipe can be seen discharging white foamy water that covers the beach area. The wastewater has even begun to cover part of the beach near the location.
The Head of the NTB Marine and Fisheries Agency (DKP), Muslim, confirmed that he has inspected the location of the foamy water. According to him, the farm’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (IPAL) is actually functioning well. He said the foamy water appeared while workers were repairing a pipe as part of the process to obtain Good Fish Farming Practices (CBIB) certification.
“In terms of IPAL management, it is already good. However, they are in the process of obtaining the Good Fish Farming Practices (CBIB) certificate. To process that, there is a section of pipe that needs to be repaired and straightened,” said Muslim on Wednesday.
Muslim described the incident as a workplace accident. According to him, workers accidentally opened a section of the pipe, causing water to gush out forcefully and foam after hitting the rocks below.
“It was not a leak; they probably opened the pipe so the water plunged straight down and hit the rocks,” he explained.
Although the foam disappeared within hours, the NTB Provincial Government still took samples of the foamy seawater and is testing its contents through laboratory analysis. According to Muslim, strict sanctions, including legal action, will be pursued if the laboratory results prove harmful pollution.
“We remain optimistic that all processes were carried out properly. The lab results are currently being processed and will hopefully be available in a few days,” said Muslim.
Muslim said a central supervisory team has also been deployed to the location. Preliminary inspection results show that the shrimp farm’s licensing documents are complete. He expressed hope that shrimp farming businesses do not sacrifice the marine ecosystem, which also serves as the water source for aquaculture.
“Tomorrow we will take proactive steps regarding all shrimp farms in NTB that discharge their waste into the sea. We will provide guidance and conduct spot checks,” Muslim stressed.