Waste processing firm fails to identify explosive substances

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Hazardous waste processing firm Prasadha Pamunah Limbah Industri (PPLi) acknowledged on Friday its difficulties in identifying the chemical substances that were stored in its warehouse in Klapanunggal, Bogor, at the time of an explosion and fire on March 9.

PPLi sales and marketing manager Machmud Badres said the company's experts were still looking into the matter.

The Bogor Council has demanded the company make public every type of chemical being stored in the warehouse at the time of the incident.

"We are still conducting a comprehensive investigation to find out which substances were present during the explosion. But I can say now that they were substances of low toxicity," he said.

He did not say when the results of the investigation would be announced.

PPLi president director Edward A. Corcoran earlier notified the Bogor Council that the results of an investigation into the fire had been submitted to the Office of the State Minister for the Environment. He said human error was the cause of the explosion, which occurred after PPLi employees failed to detect mislabeled materials being stored at the facility in Narogong village, Nambo subdistrict.

The explosion caused concern among nearby residents, who live as close as 30 meters from the plant.

They feared the fire would cause air and water pollution after the water in the nearby river and in their wells had turned black after the incident.

PPLi technical manager Taufik Abdullah denied the fire had resulted in any air or water pollution.

He said monitoring of the river and air showed pollutant levels were below allowable levels.

PPLi runs the largest waste disposal and hazardous material facility in Indonesia, processing about 30,000 tons of industrial waste from 800 companies across the country last year, including mining giant Newmont Minahasa in North Sulawesi.

Machmud said 95 percent of PPLi's clients were from the Greater Jakarta.

He said the company's clients accounted for just 35 percent of the country's industries, an indication that most of the industrial waste in Indonesia was not treated properly.

PPLi, which was established in 1994, is controlled by Modern Asia Environmental Holdings, which also owns hazardous material processing facilities in Thailand.