Waste processing firm fails to identify explosive substances

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.