"Besides rivers, five lakes have been polluted by waste," Mukri Friatna, an officer of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said here Monday.
Identifying the polluted lakes, he said, Sentani lake in Papua was contaminated by household waste.
Unhas Lake in Makassar, South Sulawesi, was polluted by heavy metal waste, Mukri said, adding that Situ Rawabadung lake in East Jakarta was also polluted by mercury.
Sembuluh Lake in Seruyan District, Central Kalimantan, was polluted by CPO (Crude Palm Oil) waste while Penantian Lake in Muaraenim , Palembang, South Sumatra, was polluted by waste from a power plant.
The level of pollution in the lakes was so high that people residing around them could no longer use the water for their daily needs and for fish cultivation.
The level of pollution was measured in terms of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand and Ph in excess of normal standards.
According to Health Minister Decree no. 907/Menkes/SK/VII/2002, the acidity level (Ph) of water for consumption should be 6.5 to 8.5, in line with the standard of the World Health Organization (WHO.
Walhi had recorded that there were 75 polluting activities which affected 65 rivers and five seas in 2010.
Batota River in Kutai Timur of East Kalimantan Province and 18 others in some regions were polluted with coal mining waste, he said.
The Rembang and Indralaya rivers in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, were polluted by oil and the Nuangan river in Manado by toxic waste.
Moreover, Mukri said, the Bali River in Kotabaru, East Kalimantan, was polluted by iron ore and the Ulu Muntok river in Bangka by tin.
There were also 21 rivers in Sumatra and Kalimantan polluted by CPO waste and 22 others by industrial and mixed waste.
(SYS/KR-AES/H-YH)
Editor: Suryanto
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