The Head of the Task Force’s Mitigation and Cs-137 Contamination Management Division, Rasio Ridho Sani, confirmed on Monday that 22 factories and 12 other sites had undergone decontamination after exposure to Cs-137 radioactive contamination.
Of the 22 factories affected by Cs-137 radiation, 21 have been successfully decontaminated.
Meanwhile, the 91 temporarily relocated residents came from two red-zone areas - locations F2 and E- in Barengkok Hamlet, Sukatani Village, Cikande Sub-district.
“The Task Force continues to accelerate the decontamination process. In addition to the 22 factories, decontamination is also being carried out at 12 other sites where Cs-137 has been detected, including vacant land, stalls, and residential areas,” Sani explained.
He added that the decontamination process is expected to be completed by December at the latest.
The relocation process, he said, follows Radiation Safety Procedures and is directly supervised by radiation protection officers (PPR) and experts from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten).
For radiation safety, residents and their belongings are screened using radiation meter surveys. Once declared safe, health examinations are conducted at the Cikande Community Health Center, Sani noted.
The first phase of the temporary relocation at Location F was completed on October 22, involving 19 families comprising 63 residents. The operation was carried out by the Indonesian Army’s Nubika Team in cooperation with the Serang District Government, BRIN, and the Cikande Sub-district administration.
The second phase was conducted on Sunday, relocating 28 residents with assistance from Brimob, BRIN, the Serang District Government, and Cikande Sub-district officials.
The relocation aims to expedite the decontamination process in red-zone residential areas and ensure public health and safety.
Sani stated that during the decontamination process, residents are at risk of exposure to airborne radioactive dust.
The relocation allows officers to clean the area and remove contaminated materials safely.
Of the 12 locations found with Cesium-137 contamination, five have been fully decontaminated, while seven remain under treatment.
A total of 222.6 cubic meters, equivalent to 371 tons of decontaminated material, has been successfully transferred to interim storage, Sani added.
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Translator: Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Primayanti
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