Six more officials charged in Flint water scandal

Yahoo – AFP, July 29, 2016

The damage to the Flint's water pipes may be long-lasting, if not permanent,
causing residents to use filters to make their water drinkable (AFP Photo/
Brett Carlsen)

  

Chicago (AFP) - Authorities in the US state of Michigan filed criminal charges Friday against six current and former state officials over lead water contamination in the city of Flint, signaling that their probe is expanding.

"Many things went tragically wrong in Flint. Some failed to act," Michigan State Attorney General Bill Schuette told a news conference as he announced the new charges.

"Some intentionally altered figures, and covered up."

More than 8,000 children are believed to have consumed lead-tainted water in the hardscrabble northern city, which has become a focus of the 2016 White House race.

Until now, three state workers had been criminally charged over the health crisis, which occurred in the aftermath of government officials' cost-saving effort in 2014 to switch the city's source of drinking water.

One took a plea agreement to cooperate in the probe.

Chief investigator Andrew Arena said his team was "starting to work our way up" in the areas of state government they were investigating, and expanding the probe "into other departments."

"This at the end will be the largest criminal investigation in the history of the state of Michigan," he said.

On Friday authorities charged another six current and former state employees for covering up evidence of water contamination. They face various felony and misdemeanor counts, including conspiracy, misconduct in office and tampering with evidence.

Flint residents Gladyes Williamson (C) holds a bottle full of contaminated water,

and a clump of her hair, alongside Jessica Owens (R), holding a baby bottle full

of contaminated water (AFP Photo/Mark Wilson)

Experts say the new source of water proved more corrosive on aging pipes and caused lead contamination that exposed thousands of children to the toxin.

"In essence, these individuals concealed the truth. They were criminally wrong to do so," Schuette said.

The highest ranked official charged is Liane Shekter Smith, who was fired in February from her post as chief of Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality.

"Shekter Smith ignored reports that the (water treatment) plant was out of compliance, lied that the water plant was certified, and deliberately misled her superiors," Schuette said.

She faces a felony charge of misconduct in office and a misdemeanor charge of willful neglect of duty.

The others charged are: Nancy Peeler and Robert Scott, who are current employees in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; Corrine Miller, a former MDHHS employee; and Patrick Cook and Adam Rosenthal, current employees of the state's Department of Environmental Quality.

Todd Flood, special counsel for the Flint probe, said he was in talks with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder's office in connection with the investigation and that talks had been "constructive."

The damage to the city's water pipes may be long-lasting, if not permanent. Residents must use filters to make their water drinkable.

Last month officials also filed a lawsuit accusing a French company and a Texas firm of negligence and fraud, for their roles in the Flint water crisis.

Court Ruling Dries Up Private Water Provision in Jakarta

Jakarta Globe, Lenny Tristia Tambun, Mar 25, 2015

City-owned water operator PAM Jaya will now handle water supply to
Jakarta exclusively. (JG Photo/Jurnasyanto Sukarno)

Jakarta. Two private companies have lost their right to supply water to customers in some parts of Jakarta after a court ruled in favor of a coalition seeking to have water privatization struck down.

PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) and Aetra Air Jakarta (Aetra) had their contracts with city-owned water operator PAM Jaya severed by the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday, ending an 18-year partnership.

Jakarta City Council will form a transition team to take over their operations, while Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has said employees of the two companies could possibly find employment with PAM Jaya.

“They are professional workers and we cannot abandon them, we will make preparations so they can work at PAM Jaya,” Basuki was quoted as saying by Tempo.co on Wednesday.

Basuki said he was confident PAM Jaya would be able to manage the capital’s water distribution without Palyja and Aetra.

The court ruling ends a controversial experiment in water privatization in Jakarta, and is a major victory for the Coalition of People Rejecting the Privatization of Water in Jakarta (KMMSAJ), which filed the lawsuit.

The group had argued that the sub-contracted water service was too expensive and many Jakarta residents could not afford it.

The coalition, which includes the Jakarta Legal Aid Fuundation (LBH Jakarta), and are opposed to private ownership of water, also said the service provided by Palyja and Aetra was not up to scratch.

Both Aetra and Palyja have stated that they would file an appeal.

Aetra’s Corporate Secretary Pratama S. Adi said that the company was aware that his company’s contract with PAM Jaya was not favorable to the Jakarta City Council and it was willing to negotiate.

“We have been conducting internal consolidation and next week we will file an appeal,” Pratama said.

Palyja’s spokeswoman Meyritha Maryanie confirmed the company would challenge the ruling.

“During the legal process the contract between Palyja and PAM Jaya is still valid,” Meyritha added.

Water operator seeks contract review

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While the Jakarta administration reviews the performance of two private water operators -- PT Thames PAM Jaya (TPJ) and PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) -- city-owned water company PAM Jaya wants to review their water contracts.

"We are not satisfied with the operators' performances. Therefore, we are reviewing their contracts to reset targets and standards for the next five years," president director of PAM Jaya, Didit Haryadi, said Tuesday.

The contract appraisal would include legal adjustments to cooperation agreements, which are expected to raise its bargaining position.

In 1997, the city signed a 25-year contract that made PAM Jaya give water concessions to the two private operators to manage the distribution of clean water in Jakarta's eastern and western areas. The contract is subject to an evaluation process every five years.

"The 1997 contract stipulated we must provide the two partners with raw water from Jatiluhur dam. We don't handle such things anymore. We want to have a win-win solution," Didit said.

Manyy customers have complained about the two operators' performances and increasing water tariffs.

Didit said PAM Jaya wanted the partners to reach 75 percent service coverage in the next five years. As for leakage levels, he added, the company expected Palyja to reach 38 percent and TPJ 44 percent.

Coordinator of People's Coalition for the Rights to Water (Kruha) Hamong Santono said according to contractual targets, the two partners had been expected to reduce leakage levels to 39.87 percent and reach 70.18 percent service coverage in 2006.

However, he said, TPJ's leakage level had been recorded at 51 percent and Palyja's at 47 percent.

"Although the administration can review the contracts to improve its bargaining position, I think it would be better to terminate the contracts. It's just a matter of political will," Hamong told The Jakarta Post last week.

TPJ communications director Rhamses Simanjuntak claimed his company had reached 67 percent in service coverage and 51 percent in leakage levels in October. While Palyja public relations manager Meyritha Maryanie said in October her company had reached 58.4 percent in service coverage and around 47 percent in leakage levels.

"Although both operators claim to have broadened their service coverage, it doesn't mean the quality of their service has improved," Hamong said.

Both companies claim high leakage levels were caused by water theft.

Rhamses said in order to fight water theft, his company had curbed illegal connections and set a district meter system. Meyritha said Palyja had reduced its leakages by persuading people who stole water to become customers.

Even though the two water operators have failed to meet their targets, Didit said PAM Jaya did not plan to terminate the contracts, as it would involve a penalty of more than Rp 5 trillion. (tif)

Tangerang produces safe drinking water

The Jakarta Post

TANGERANG: The Tirta Benteng water company, owned by the Tangerang municipality, released its first batch of drinking water Tuesday, which will reach up to 100 consumers in the Arcadia housing area in Batu Ceper.

"We will develop this system until all Tangerang residents can receive drinking water," Tirta Benteng director Ahmad Mardju Qodri told Antara.

The next batch of drinking water, he said, would reach more than 2,000 consumers.

The project is being carried out in conjunction with the state's Water Provision System Implementing Body (BP-SPAM). The body also intends to develop similar programs in Malang in East Java, Medan in North Sumatra and Bandung and Bogor in West Java.

Tirta Benteng spokesperson Indra Setyawan said the production of drinking water would cost the company Rp 87.6 million, with the state to pay for ongoing staff training.

The tariff per household for drinkable water would be the same as regular piped water, he said.