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Govt looks into stripping licenses of Lake Toba-polluting companies
The North Sumatra provincial administration, along with the central government, are looking into stripping the licenses of two fishery companies that are alleged of polluting Lake Toba.
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Lake Toba in North Sumatra is a popular domestic and international tourist destination, and is touted among the "new Balis" of the national tourism campaign. (Courtesy of Indonesia.travel)
T
he North Sumatra provincial administration is working to revoke the business licenses of two companies that run floating fisheries on Lake Toba for polluting the waters in the resort area.
“The business licenses of the two companies are from the central government, so it is the central government that has the authority to revoke the licenses,” North Sumatra Environment Management head Rismawati Simanjuntak told The Jakarta Post on Sunday, referring to PT Aquafarm Nusantara and PT Suritani Pemuka (Japfa).
Rismawati added that Aquafarm operated 322 floating fish cages while Japfa operated 184 cages.
Meanwhile, North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi said he was coordinating with the central government to revoke the business licenses of the two companies.
“I have spoken with the President and sent a letter to the [environment] minister to stop the operations [of Aquafarm and Japfa]. The provincial administration has no authority to do so,” Edy said at his office on Friday.
He said the companies' licenses should be cancelled because water pollution caused adverse impacts on the province's tourism sector.
Last month, the Medan branch of the Indonesian Christian Student Movement (GMKI) staged a protest at North Sumatra governor's office, demanding that the government immediately revoke the permits of companies that had contributed to the worsening water quality of Lake Toba, including Aquafarm Nusantara.
