Jakarta – Residents of a village in Rawakalong, Depok, have filed a lawsuit against a textile factory, saying their wells are filling up with diesel fuel from its leaking pipes.

Babakan village residents reported the case to police Monday after attempts to solve the problem in an amicable manner failed. They demanded the company fix the problem and compensate them for their losses.

One of the residents, Tuti Margiyani, complained that, since January, clean water had been hard to come by in the village. Previously, one well produced enough drinking water for at least 10 households.

"The wells are now filled with diesel fuel instead of clean water. My neighbor once even tried to use it for his truck and it worked, proving that it is real diesel fuel," she said.

Residents believe the fuel is from PT Rajabrana, a textile factory located nearby.

Early in February, they discussed the matter with Cimanggis district officials, who arranged for both parties to meet later that month. "But the company was represented only by its security guards. We have never met the company's head directly," one man told The Jakarta Post.

Another resident, who has been living in the village for 15 years, said one of the company executives conceded their underground boiler pipes were leaking, causing the fuel to seep into the soil.

"Therefore, after our first complaint in January, they installed a pipe to run clean water from the company's water tank to residents here," he said.

Villagers, however, are hesitant to use the water for cooking and drinking. "We use the water only for bathing and washing but not for consumption because we're not sure whether the water is really clean although it's clear enough," the longtime resident said, adding that he preferred to buy bottled water.

The company also installed five water pumps and machines in the neighborhood in February. The water quality, however, was even worse, according to Priyono, another villager.

"The color is brown and it still smells like diesel fuel. The main problem here is the water has (already) been polluted due to the leaking pipes. So, although they've installed more pipes and pumps, the water quality remains bad," he said.

Jakarta Police will summon the company for questioning.