Cisadane Contaminated with Pesticides, Residents Prohibited from Using River Water

Tangerang - The Tangerang City Environmental Service (DLH) in Banten, held periodic monitoring of water quality in the Cisadane River until the laboratory results were completed after the detection of hazardous chemical pollution, namely pesticides.

Head of the Tangerang City DLH Wawan Fauzi said monitoring was carried out using water quality monitoring equipment that was updated every hour, considering that many people carry out activities on the Cisadane River.

The monitoring was carried out, he said, to ensure that there were no victims due to chemicals mixed in the Cisadane River.

His party also issued an appeal to the public not to catch, process, or consume fish from the Cisadane River, because there is a risk of exposure to dangerous chemicals that can cause health disorders or poisoning.

"All activities that use the Cisadane River water must be temporarily stopped until the official laboratory test results are released and the river is declared safe again," he said, quoted by Antara, Thursday, February 12.

The Head of the City Health Office (Dinkes) of Tangerang, Dini Anggraeni, added that exposure to chemical waste can cause health disorders, such as skin irritation, respiratory disorders, nausea, vomiting, or other complaints.

"If people experience symptoms or complaints after contact with the Cisadane River water, immediately go to the nearest health service facility (fasyankes). For emergency conditions, people can contact the Call Center 112 or 021-5577-1135," he said.

Previously, the Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH) had conducted an inspection and research on the occurrence of a fire incident at the Pesticide Warehouse owned by PT Biotek Saranatama in the Tekno Park area, South Tangerang, Banten, which had an impact on the Cisadane River.

Based on the results of research and field checks, the Gakkum KLH team found that there was contamination of liquid pesticide materials flowing into the Jeletreng River to the Cisadane River with an area of approximately 22.5 kilometers (km), covering the areas of South Tangerang City, Tangerang City, and Tangerang Regency.

"Pollution in the Cisadane River has reportedly spread to approximately 22.5 kilometers," said Minister of LH/Head of BPLH Hanif Faisol Nurofiq in his statement.

He said that the pollution had an impact, including the death of various aquatic biota such as catfish, catfish, patin fish, tilapia, and sapu-sapu fish.

"As a follow-up, KLH/BPLH took water samples in the upstream and downstream parts of the Cisadane River, and collected ten dead fish samples to be tested in the laboratory," said the Minister of Environment/Head of BPLH Hanif Faisol Nurofiq.