Bogor Regent Claims To Have Evidence That The Company Disposes Of Waste Into The Cileungsi River, Wants The Center To Intervene

Bogor Regent Iwan Setiawan in Bogor Regency, West Java. (ANTARA/M Fikri Setiawan)

Bogor Regent Iwan Setiawan asked the River Basin Center (BBWS) under the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) to intervene regarding the handling of Cileungsi River pollution. Regent Iwan wants the handling of problems that occur every year to be carried out jointly between the Bogor Regency Government (Pemkab) and BBWS. "Cileungsi is a river under BBWS, I learned it. Now why everything is charged to the regional government, together. If we build anything in the river, it is firm, it must be a BBWS permit," said Iwan in Bogor Regency, West Java, Antara, Thursday, September 14. According to him, the Bogor Regency Environment Agency (DLH) team has inventoried several industries that are indicated to have polluted the Cileungsi River, both located in Citeureup, Gunungputri, and Cileungsi. He admitted that he had pocketed industrial evidence suspected of polluting the Cileungsi River through video recordings. "At night, my staff made a video of factories disposing of waste at night, I have a video. So I don't have to go down, keep combing the river. I know everything," said Iwan. Iwan explained that the Bogor Regency DLH had sealed several industries that were proven to dispose of hazardous waste into the Cileungsi River. However, according to him, the sealing step was not a good solution. Moreover, the Bogor Regency Government is mandated by the central government to maintain the investment climate. "Investment, the economy must be maintained. Do not let the impact of factories be closed so that new problems related to unemployment," said Iwan. Previously, the people who were members of the Cileungsi-Cikeas River Care Community (KP2C) sent an open invitation to the Bogor Regent Iwan Setiawan to see firsthand the condition of the Cileungsi River whose water was blackening. "We sent the open invitation letter to the Regent last Wednesday morning. We hope that the regent will receive a good welcome," said KP2C Chairman Puarman. Puarman explained that since early August 2023, people have suffered again from the black Cileungsi River, odors, seeds and causing thousands of fish to die. "People can no longer do activities in the river, either fishing, bathing or washing. In addition, every day people experience a pungent smell, tenuous eyes, shortness of breath, and nausea," said Puarman. He revealed that the pollution of the Cileungsi River had been going on for a long time, even more than seven years.

"Supervision and guidance carried out by the government so far, it turns out that it is not effective because pollution suspected of being industrial waste always occurs and repeats itself," he said.