TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsTangerang toxic spill disrupts clean water supply
The Environment Ministry announced on Wednesday that authorities had identified two types of chemical pesticides, namely cypermethrin and profenofos, which had contaminated a 22.5-kilometer section of the Cisadane River and its tributary the Jaletreng River.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
The Jaletreng River flows through South Tangerang, Banten, in this undated picture. The river is one of the tributaries of the Cisadane River that runs from Bogor regency in West Java to South Tangerang, as well as Tangerang city and regency in Banten, before emptying into the Java Sea. (Shutterstock/Rangoo Starr)
P
esticides that leaked from a burned-out warehouse in South Tangerang, Banten, are believed to have contaminated rivers used to source clean water for local residents, with authorities investigating the incident as an alleged case of corporate negligence, posing a threat to public and environmental health.
The Environment Ministry announced on Wednesday that authorities had identified two types of chemical pesticides, namely cypermethrin and profenofos, which had contaminated a 22.5-kilometer section of the Cisadane River and its tributary the Jaletreng River. The rivers flow past the location of the pesticide warehouse that caught fire on Monday.
The fire broke out at a warehouse owned by pesticide distributor PT Biotek Saranatama in Setu district, South Tangerang, at around 4:30 a.m. on Monday. It is located within a warehouse complex near the Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) township, an upscale housing complex.
According to the Environmental Ministry, the water used to extinguish the blaze was contaminated with at least 20 tonnes of burned pesticides and flowed into nearby drainage channels that connect directly to the Cisadane, which runs through South Tangerang, as well as Tangerang municipality and regency.
The contamination led to a mass fish die-off seen in parts of the Cisadane and Jaletreng in the last few days. Tangerang city-owned water company Tirta Benteng, which sources its water from the Cisadane, also suspended water access for several hours on Tuesday following reports of murky, foul-smelling water from its piping facilities.
Meanwhile, tap water firms PT PITS owned by the South Tangerang administration, as well as PT Tirta Kerta Raharja of Tangerang regency, separately claimed their water supplies remained safe.
