Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Several more companies located in the vicinity of Jakarta Bay have promised to revise waste disposal methods in an effort to reduce pollution.
Some 37 out of 85 companies in the area have now signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) detailing their commitment to protecting the bay.
"We will give them one year to meet their commitments, and if they fail to do so, we will withdraw their business licenses," Ridwan Panjaitan, head of pollution control at the Jakarta Environmental Management Board (BPLHD), said Tuesday.
Under the MoU, each company must treat its solid, liquid and hazardous waste and control air pollution from fixed and mobile sources, including emissions from factories and vehicles.
The companies are also required to submit reports about their progress to the BPLHD.
Companies that signed the MoU last week include Koja Container Terminal, state port operator Pelindo II in Tanjung Priok, the management of Ancol Dreamland recreation park and PT Indonesia Marine.
Residents argue a decline in fish numbers in the area is due to heavy pollution emitted from factories and businesses operating along the bay.
The program to clean up Jakarta Bay was first launched last year, with 19 companies initially signing the MoU.
However, only 10 companies have carried out their promises so far.
"Nine companies have not submitted reports regarding their progress. We will send them warning letters soon," he said.
The Jakarta administration has also been under pressure to clean up the city's river system recently.
The administration said 13 rivers flowing into the Jakarta Bay contribute at least 14,000 cubic meters of household waste to the area daily. This is almost half of the estimated 28,435 cubic meters of waste that enters the bay, endangering coral reefs and other sea life.
The Kepulauan Seribu regency is currently using four boats and a barge to clean up the sea, with collected garbage disposed of at the Bantar Gebang sanitary landfill in Bekasi.
The capital currently produces more than 6,000 tons of garbage per day.
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