Follow-up On Paracetamol Pollution In Jakarta Bay, DKI Provincial Government Seals Waste Channels For 2 Pharmaceutical Factories

Illustration-Reclamation island area in Jakarta Bay (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The DKI Provincial Government is following up on the findings of paracetamol contamination in Jakarta Bay. After finding the perpetrators of pollution, the DKI Environmental Service gave sanctions to two pharmaceutical factories that were proven to contaminate paracetamol.

Head of the DKI Environmental Agency, Asep Kuswanto, said that his party had imposed sanctions on the closure of wastewater outlets to two pharmaceutical factories with the initials PT MEF and PT B.

"The sanction imposed on pharmaceutical factories PT B and PT MEF is the obligation to close the outlet of the wastewater WWTP. This is by the Government's Coercive Administrative Sanctions Number 671 of 2021 and Number 672 of October 29, 2021", said Asep in his statement, Thursday, November 2.

Asep explained that the violation committed by PT MEF was its efforts to have environmental documents by applicable regulations, not to have a permit to dispose of wastewater into the environment, not to check its wastewater regularly at least once a month to an accredited and integrated laboratory.

Then, PT MEF's wastewater exceeds the specified quality standard and does not have a wastewater disposal permit, does not yet have competent personnel as the Person in Charge of Water Pollution Control (PPPA) and Charge of Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator (POPAL).

Meanwhile, PT B violated, among others, the activity/business did not yet have environmental documents by applicable regulations, did not have a permit to dispose of wastewater into the environment.

Then, PT B also has not checked its wastewater regularly at least once a month to an accredited and integrated laboratory, the wastewater exceeds the specified quality standards and does not have a wastewater disposal permit, does not yet have competent personnel as PPPA and POPAL.

In the future, Asep said that PT MEF and PT B were obliged to report the follow-up or progress of fulfilling or complying with obligations regularly and periodically to the DKI Jakarta Provincial Environment Agency.

"The Law Enforcement Team of the Environmental Service will continue to monitor the compliance of sanctions on the improvement and fulfillment of sanctions that are being implemented by PT MEF and PT B", said Asep.

For information, after the uproar over the finding of paracetamol content whose samples were taken in 2017, DKI took samples of Jakarta seawater again on 2 October.

After completing the study, the Head of the DKI LH Department, Asep Kuswanto, said that currently, the paracetamol content is still contaminating the seawater of Jakarta Bay. However, not as many as the findings of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) in 2017.