River Water In Pamekasan Turns Red, Allegedly Polluted With Batik Waste

River water color in Pamekasan, East Java, Monday, is red allegedly due to contamination of batik dye waste from Klampar Village, Proppo District. (ANTARA/HO-Screenshot of Amateur Videos)

PAMEKASAN - River water in Pamekasan, East Java has turned red, allegedly due to being polluted with batik dye waste from batik craftsmen.

According to the Head of the Pamekasan Environmental Service (DLH) Supriyanto, the waste for batik dyes is thought to have come from Klampar Village, Proppo District, Pamekasan.

"I have come to the location and asked the Head of Klampar Village to provide guidance to its citizens so as not to throw batik waste into the river," he said, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, July 10.

Supri's statement denied the news circulating in some people that the river water that changed color was due to natural phenomena.

Supri said that initially he received reports from the public about the existence of red river water in Jungcangcang Village, which was near the Pamekasan Correctional Institution (Lapas).

When he received the report, he immediately coordinated with the sub-district head, Polsek and Koramil of Pamekasan City.

This joint team moved, conducting a search upstream of the polluted river. The team finally arrived at the Klampar batik center which was allegedly carried out by residents who dumped the batik dye waste into the river.

"Therefore, we urge people who are downstream of this river not to use this river water for household purposes, such as bathing and washing and so on," said Supri.

"A fish in a river that is polluted by waste, he said, should not be consumed by the community, because it already contains dyes that could endanger the body," he said.

The head of DLH Supriyanto, further explained that his party had taken samples of water contaminated with batik dye waste for laboratory tests.

"We will test it in Sumenep, because there are those who have a lab, maybe in these three days the results can be known about the waste content of batik dyes that are suspected to be dumped by residents into the river," he explained.

Klampar Village is one of the villages that is a center for writing batik craftsmen in Pamekasan Regency, located about 7 kilometers to the northwest of Pamekasan City.