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View all search resultsDust fallout chokes Balikpapan residents after Pertamina's new refinery launch
One resident, Dewi, said she had limited outdoor activities and kept her doors and windows shut over the past few days to prevent the dust from entering her home.
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The Balikpapan refinery complex, the site of Pertamina’s Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) expansion project is pictured in this undated handout photo. (Courtesy of Pertamina)
O
perations at state-owned oil and gas holding company Pertamina's new refinery in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, have blanketed parts of the city in dust, prompting concerns among residents about potential health risks.
The phenomenon was first reported on Tuesday morning, when residents woke to find a fine layer of brownish dust, resembling volcanic ash, coating the terraces of their homes, vehicles and garden plants.
The dust fallout spread across several neighborhoods in central and northern Balikpapan, baffling residents as the city is located far from any active volcano.
One resident, Dewi, said she had limited outdoor activities and kept her doors and windows shut over the past few days to prevent the dust from entering her home.
“The wind keeps blowing the dust particles into the house. Since I have a 3-year-old child, I've been keeping the doors tightly closed,” Dewi said recently as quoted by Kompas.com.
She added that the dust irritated her throat when inhaled, particularly as several members of her family were already suffering from coughs.
Vice president of legal and relations at PT Kilang Pertamina Balikpapan, Asep Sulaeman, said the fine dust originated from operational activities within Pertamina’s Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) Balikpapan, which is located in Central Balikpapan and is a National Strategic Project (PSN).
