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Jakarta's fishers battle rising pollution as government turns blind eye
The Cilincing fishing community in North Jakarta is battling to save their livelihoods against an increasing tide of waste that is polluting the waters and killing fish in Jakarta Bay, and has seen very few signs that either the local or central governments are tackling the recurring problem.
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A fisherman washes green mussels on March 19, 2024 in the shallows near a fishing port in North Jakarta. (AFP/YASUYOSHI CHIBA )
T
he sky was clear and the ocean calm when The Jakarta Post visited North Jakarta’s fishing village of Cilincing last week. Some fishermen who had just returned from sea seemed to be enjoying the gentle sea breeze while sipping hot coffee.
Although that particular day in their lives seemed tranquil, the reality is far from it: Cilincing’s fishing community has been seeing a significant drop in their catches in recent years as various types of waste, including industrial, continue to flow into Jakarta Bay.
“This year is the worst. Industrial waste has continually polluted the sea for around three months, while it used to last seven days in years past,” community leader Danu Waluyo told the Post on July 16.
He explained that harmful waste had been flowing into the waters off Cilincing since Ramadan in April, killing tonnes of fish and prompting more than 1,000 local fishers to avoid heading out to sea.
“Insisting on going to sea is pointless, as we could simply end up wasting our money on fuel,” Danu said.
Read also: Coastal communities face greater risk of microplastics
And although he had reported the situation to the Jakarta Environmental Agency, aside from a handful of officers that came to collect some water samples, presumably for laboratory testing and analysis, no further action had been taken to date.
