Letter: Oil refinery on fire

For many years I have lived in a city well-known for its big oil refinery in East Kalimantan and never ever did the refinery experience a fire. Strict rules and regulations with regard to security and safety procedures are paramount in and around any oil refinery. Smoking is absolutely not allowed.

Nobody but those working there is allowed to enter. Special permits  are needed for petroleum experts of other companies to even be there. Smoking is absolutely not allowed in and around the premises and concrete and iron fences are put up several kilometers around the area to keep outsiders away. 

Special equipment guarantees that a fire is immediately detected and back up systems ensure that the fire does not spread easily. So how did the fire start in the first place? It is plain to see that this is an absolute case of human error.

Lack of discipline and carelessness must be why a fire started. It is incredible that a residential area is even allowed near an oil refinery. At least 5 kilometers around an oil refinery, no housing compounds are allowed.

The Central Java provincial government is quite lax and does not care or understand safety rules and regulations and now Pertamina bears the cost of compensating residents who lost their lives and homes near the blast-site and have to reimburse those whose homes are damaged.

The government should not even allow residential compounds near any oil refinery. An eyewitness, for example Yunita, said that she lives only 100 meters from the blast site.

This is absolutely horrifying. Apparently the provincial government does not understand or care about safety and security regulations to have allowed the construction of residential areas near the site.  The central government should ensure in the near future that strict rules are adhered to near any oil refinery or hydrocracker.

I am absolutely certain that many heads will roll in Cilacap.

Lynna van der Zee-Oehmke
Bogor, West Java