B3 Waste Factory In Balaraja Temporarily Stopped, Residents Complain Shortness Of Breath And Dust

A number of officers checked the condition of the crocodile and facilities owned by PT SLI (ANTARA/Azmi Samsul M)

Tangerang Regent Ahmed Zaki Iskandar through an official letter temporarily suspended the operational activities of PT Sukses Logam Indonesia (SLI), a company that manages hazardous and toxic waste (B3) in Balaraja District.

Head of the Tangerang Regency Environment and Hygiene Service (DLHK), Ujat Sudrajat, said the decision to temporarily suspend was contained in a warning letter issued on Friday, October 17.

"Yesterday, the Regent issued a letter requesting the termination of the operation of the PT SLI factory. Indeed, if all kinds of permits are in the center," said Ujat in Tangerang, Antara, Thursday, October 23.

He explained that the termination letter was issued as a follow-up to public reports complaining of air pollution around industrial areas.

This termination letter is based on the situation below. There is a threat of public order disturbances because there will be a massive demonstration. So a decision is made to temporarily stop operations," said Ujat.

In the letter, the Tangerang Regency Government ordered PT SLI to stop all activities and improve environmental processing facilities and facilities, especially the air pollution control system.

"The temporary suspension is accompanied by a target repair. The revocation of the letter depends on how PT SLI fulfills its obligation to improve," he said.

The Tangerang Regency Government will also conduct due diligence on PT SLI's production facilities, including air particle levels testing such as PM2.5, PM7, and PM10.

"Testing is carried out technically by a team from the DLHK. We are also still waiting for the results of the air and water laboratory tests that have been sampled," said Ujat.

He added that the results of laboratory tests will be announced to the public, especially residents of Balaraja District. However, the full permit revocation authority remains in the hands of the central government through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK).

"For the revocation or follow-up of the test results, the authority rests with the ministry. We play a role in terms of peace and order," he said.

Responding to this, Public Relations of PT Sukses Logam Indonesia, Adrian, emphasized that the company's operational activities were in accordance with applicable legal and licensing provisions.

"We get legality and legal basis, complete permits, and are under the official government's supervision. PT SLI's operational activities are in accordance with applicable legal standards," Adrian said at a press conference in Tangerang.

He said the company had an operational-worthy certificate, environmental permit documents, and had gone through an examination by the Directorate General of Environmental Law Enforcement.

According to Adrian, the accusation of air pollution around residential areas is not true. The PT SLI waste and emissions management system, he said, has been designed based on the environmental quality standard threshold set by the government and audited regularly.

Meanwhile, a number of residents of Cengkok Village, Sentul Village, Balaraja District, complained about the deteriorating air quality since the factory's operation.

The citizen's attorney, Ayub Kadriah, said that the alleged air pollution from PT SLI's activities had caused health problems in the community.

"Some residents experience shortness of breath, prolonged cough, and stingy eyes due to dust that are thought to have originated from zinc ash from the burning of raw materials," said Ayub.

He also said that the activity of the factory, which operated 24 hours, caused a pungent odor that was thought to have originated from the burning process using coal.

Diketahui, PT Sukses Logam Indonesia mulai beroperasi sejak 2019. Pada tahun 2022, perusahaan ini sempat ditutup sementara karena tidak memenuhi standar mutu pengelolaan lingkungan yang ditetapkan pemerintah daerah.

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It is known, PT Sukses Logam Indonesia has started operating since 2019. In 2022, this company was temporarily closed because it did not meet the quality standards of environmental management set by the local government.