Agency head Yusen Hardiman said the samples would be sent to the Environment and Forestry Ministry for further studies.

“[Agency] officers are currently in the field taking the [water] samples. They will be handed over to the ministry to be examined by the authorities,” Yusen said on Wednesday as reported by kompas.com.

He added that the agency had found evidence of oil spills in the regency, though none were significant in size.

The oil might have originated from ships that passed the regency or ships that were being washed in the area, he added.

“When the ships are being cleaned, some oil leaks into the water. That’s our first guess because someone once saw that, but they didn’t take any pictures. So, we have no proof yet,” Yusen said.

Indonesian Coalition of the Environment (Kawalhi) national director Puput TD Putra said in a written statement that besides waste and debris from Jakarta, oil spills may also be polluting the waters of Thousand Islands regency.

A turtle and some fish were found dead by fishermen and Kawalhi members on the shores of Pari Island on Tuesday, she said.

Yusen said the Thousand Islands Environment Agency was currently investigating the matter. (ami)

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