Illegal toxic waste disposal in capital 'cause for alarm'

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Around one century ago, a factory dumped and buried 22,000 tons of its chemical waste in an area called the Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York.

In the 1970's, residents of Love Canal began to experience strange illnesses. More than half of the children born in the area that decade had birth-defects. The cause of the illnesses was later found to originate from massive levels of chemical waste which were poisoning the townspeople even after 70 years.

According to Syarif Hidayat, technical manager of a waste treatment company, the same thing would happen in Jakarta if factories continue to dump industrial waste illegally. "We estimate only 10 percent of factories in Jakarta process their waste water properly," he told The Jakarta Post , adding that the situation was more than a cause for alarm.

Syarif's company, Prasadha Pamunah Limbah industri (PPLi), currently manages around 35 percent of the country's toxic waste. PPLi is also the largest internationally accredited waste treatment facility in Indonesia.

Head of the Indonesian Environmental Forum (WALHI) Slamet Daroyni echoed Syarif, saying most factories in Jakarta did not treat their wastewater properly. Slamet said only 80 of some 800 factories are equipped with proper wastewater treatment facilities. He said WALHI received many reports of factories polluting carelessly. "We received reports from residents of Cilincing and Marunda (North Jakarta) who said they saw factories pumping their wastewater straight into the ocean."

Stories of improper waste management are not uncommon in other parts of Jakarta.

Bintoro, a resident of Bekasi and environmental activist, said toxic waste was resold by so-called waste treatment companies to outside parties. "It's not even hidden here. You can see people trading factory waste in broad daylight," Bintoro said.

Toxic waste mismanagement is not uncommon in Bekasi. Last year P.T. Dong Woo Environmental Indonesia, a waste treatment company, was caught dumping toxic waste in Kampung Sepu. There are still around 2,800 tons of contaminated soil there, according to data provided by the Environment Ministry.

Head of Jakarta's Environmental Management Agency, Budirama Natakusumah, said some companies polluted the environment but his office was always strict with such offenders. "Just recently we closed down several factories which violated standard waste management procedures," he said.

Slamet, however, said the city administration were not transparent enough with their field reports. He urged the government to pay better attention to the environment. "I know a good economy is important, but not taking the environment into account and allowing factories to continue dumping toxic waste, because they produce jobs, is just not acceptable," he said. (anw)