Factory In Cikande Industrial Estate Exposed To Cesium-137, Minister Of Industry Agus Says This

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita (Photo: Kemenperin)

The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) emphasized that public security and the feasibility of the industrial environment are the main priorities after the issue of exposure to Cesium-137 (Cs-137) in the Cikande Industrial Estate, Serang, Banten.

Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita ensured that all mitigation and handling steps were carried out in a coordinated manner across ministries so as not to have an impact on public health or the sustainability of industrial activities in the area.

"We are committed to ensuring that all industrial activities in Indonesia, including in the Cikande industrial area, run in accordance with public safety principles and meet environmental and health standards. This radiation issue must be handled quickly, scientifically and transparently so as not to interfere with public trust in domestic manufacturing products," Agus said in an official statement quoted on Tuesday, October 14.

Agus ensured that his party would continue to coordinate with the Coordinating Ministry for Food, the Nuclear Energy Supervisory Agency (Bapeten) and local governments (Pemda) in providing and controlling potential contamination from radiation sources detected.

Based on the results of initial coordination, mitigation efforts have been carried out in a measured manner by direct monitoring in the field by a joint team across ministries/agencies.

The Coordinating Ministry for Food has also formed a Radionuclide Radiation Hazard Management Task Force Cesium-137 and Community Health Is Affected. The Ministry of Industry is one of the active members in the task force.

The Ministry of Industry emphasizes that the safety of raw materials, the production process and distribution of industrial products in the area are maintained. There were no indications of radiation exposure affecting the supply chain or quality of manufactured products.

"We want to emphasize that Indonesian manufacturing products are safe and in accordance with international quality standards. The Ministry of Industry routinely supervises and certifies quality through industry standardization institutions. Therefore, the public does not need to worry about the safety of circulating products," he said.

In a global context, public safety issues are an important factor in maintaining the confidence of the export market in national products. Therefore, the Ministry of Industry is also actively coordinating with relevant agencies to ensure that the handling of the radiation issue does not have an impact on the reputation of the Indonesian industry in the world market.

He emphasized that his party continues to strive to keep the management of the post-issue industrial area conducive and investment friendly. The government ensures that control measures are carried out without causing disruption to economic activity or investors operating in Cikande.

"We guarantee that the Indonesian industrial area, including Cikande, will remain a safe and competitive place for investment. This issue will be a momentum to strengthen the industrial safety management and environmental governance system in our industrial area," said Agus.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Industry is preparing guidelines for strengthening industrial environmental governance more comprehensively, including an integrated monitoring system between regional managers, local governments and technical ministries.

This approach is expected to be able to prevent similar risks in the future and ensure the sustainability of industry activities is safe and productive.

The Cikande Modern Industrial Estate is one of the strategic industrial areas in Banten Province, established since 1991 and managed by PT Modern Industrial Estate. The area has an industrial estate business license (IUKI) of 1,463 hectares, houses 271 tenants, with 181 of them already operating and absorbing more than 45,000 workers.

"We understand the importance of maintaining the sustainability of this area as one of the backbones of the national industry. Therefore, all surveillance steps are taken without hampering legitimate and safe production activities," explained Agus.

The Ministry of Industry has also prepared strategic steps in the form of increasing supervision of standard industrial estates, accelerating the construction of wastewater treatment plants (IPAL) in Cikande which are planned to operate by the end of 2026 and integrating surveillance data through the National Industrial Information System (SIINAs) to strengthen accountability.