Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Banten
The Cilegon municipal council has urged the municipality administration to close industrial firms in Ciwandan district, saying the factories are polluting the air.
Councillor Uud Khudlori of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said that the dust waste produced by the factories in the Lijajar residential area had become a threat to local residents' health.
"There are only two options: close down the factories or relocate the residents," he said during a meeting with the municipality's health agency and the Environmental Management Agency over the weekend.
The council members also suggested the administration find environmentally-friendly waste processing technology to be used in local factories.
Health agency head Zaenoel Arifin acknowledged that many residents had suffered from respiratory problems.
"The polluted air could cause lung damage, he said.
"We'll ask the relevant officials to overcome this problem soon."
Rasmi Widiyatmi, the head of environmental impact controls at the Environmental Management Agency, said her office lacked the proper equipment to monitor air quality, which should ideally be done every six months.
"We don't have the facilities to monitor the air and we don't have the budget to handle pollution problems," she said.
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