6 Rivers In Bekasi Polluted By Industrial Waste, Dark Colored Water Smells Foul Even Smoky

Residents on the banks of the Cilemahabang River, Bekasi Regency, West Java (ANTARA)

BEKASI - At least six rivers in Bekasi Regency, West Java are polluted by industrial waste. This information is known from sweeping rivers from upstream to downstream which empties into the waters of Muaragembong District.

"Of the seven rivers that cross Bekasi Regency, only one is in fairly good condition with indicators that are not dark and smelly and there are still fish living in the river," said environmental community activist at Save Kali Cikarang, Dedi Kurniawan in Cikarang, Antara, Friday, Friday. September 10.

The six rivers that were polluted by industrial waste until they were dark in color and smelled bad were the Branch River, Jambe River, CBL River, Cipamingkis River, Citarum River, and Cilemahabang River.

Some of them even emit smoke indicating the temperature in the river is high due to the levels of hazardous and toxic waste (B3).

While one other river, Kali Cikarang, is still in good condition even though it is only in the upstream to the middle, while from the middle to the downstream it is starting to be polluted because it crosses an industrial area.

"Currently the only water flow that is still good and has endemic animals is the Cikarang River. And that is only from upstream to midstream, from coral mountains to West Cikarang. The rest is waste," he said.

Dedi stated that based on the results of sweeping rivers starting from West Cikarang Subdistrict to Muaragembong through Sukatani, Sukawangi, and Branchbungin Subdistricts, the condition of the water was no longer worthy of being called a river, but rather a B3 waste disposal.

"This condition is exacerbated by the many droughts in a number of areas. As a result, residents are forced to use polluted rivers because they have no other choice. Imagine how bad the impact is on environmental and public health, this is an extraordinary environmental crime," he said.

He noted that this pollution is closely related to the river route that passes through the industrial area, especially recently the area has become a vital object. He suspects that many companies dispose of waste that does not meet the quality levels of stone quality directly into these rivers.

Moreover, he said, the waste that is thrown into the river is not only in the form of liquid but also the rest of the production in the form of solid objects. "There are materials such as swaps, sludge from accumulated disposal or leftovers from factory production," he said.

According to him, this condition has been going on for years and even with every change of regional head, the problem of pollution has always been a priority but has never been resolved.

"The key is consistency and how firm this government is. Look at the faces of the people of Bekasi Regency in the northern region, they just have to take a bath using smelly mud water, it's very inappropriate. How long do you want it to be like this," he said.

The acting regent of Bekasi, Dani Ramdan, said that following up on the results of the field review, his party is currently conducting laboratory tests on samples of the polluted river water. The test results will be the basis for local government action.

"So in addition to tracing who disposed of the waste, a sample test was also carried out. Later, it was traced who the disposer was and the sanctions given. We also received support from the police to investigate legally," he said.