Seribu Islands Polluted by Oil: West Java

By Barrie | June 16th, 2007 | No Comments

The waters of Seribu Islands group north of Jakarta are polluted by oil at least three times a month, a Seribu Islands National Park (TNKSD). Proof of the oil pollution could be easily seen at Kotok Besar Island which was located only 29 miles north of Jakarta`s Marina Ancol Port.

“Oil pollution in the waters around and in the island group continues to increase although at a slow pace,” Sumarto, TNKSD head, said.

“Black blobs of oil are covering Kotok Besar Island`s beaches. When we put a finger on a blob it will stick and smell like diesel oil,” he said.

Asman Adipurwanti, an officer of an animal rescue organization (IAR), said he saw the oil blobs on the island`s beaches on Sunday morning before they were washed away by waves in the afternoon.

Sumarto, meanwhile, believed the oil blobs had come from offshore oil and gas exploration activity near the Seribu Islands group. “This is just an assumption that still needs to be verified by a thorough investigation,” he added.

According to information from the Environment Minsitry, Seribu Islands waters have been cotinuously exposed to pollution since the 1980s. Since 1995, the ecosystem in the island group had been considered to be “dying.”

Sumarto said the island group experienced five polluting oil invasions since 2000 with the worst happening in 2003 when 78 islands were affected.

He also estimated that every day 1,500 to 2,000 tons of garbage from 13 rivers in Jakarta were deposited in the waters of the island group.

The Seribu Island group consists of 110 permanent islands and 92 islands appearing only at low tide. Some 21,000 people live on the islands.

Source: Antara News