Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – Residents of Jatimulya village in Tangerang regency have complained about dust emanating from a nearby plastic pipe company.

"The dust hangs in the air like fog, from midnight to dawn... We are really worried because some of us are suffering respiratory problems and skin diseases," a resident, Husein, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

The factory has been operating for a few years in a warehouse in an industrial complex on Jl. Kali Perancis in Kosambi district.

Kosambi district chief Toto Sudarto said he would take residents' complaints to related agencies and the company.

Barhum, a member of Tangerang regency council who sits on Commission D for environmental affairs, said the commission would pay a visit to the factory.

"If a company establishes a factory in one of the warehouses in the complex, and it pollutes the environment, it is a violation, because the complex is designed only for small-scale industries and has no system in place to reduce dust emissions," he said.

The company's management could not be reached for comment.

Matius Mooy, a security guard at the factory, said the company provided workers with masks because it was concerned about their health.

Separately, residents of Kuta Baru village in Pasar Kemis district say a factory belonging to PT Mitra Bangun Cemerlang on Jl. Raya Cadas Kukun, owned by PT Mitra Bangun Cemerlang, is emitting hazardous substances.

In a protest Wednesday they demanded the company suspend operations until it improved its waste management system. "The company continues to dump waste into the Cirarab River," said Fajar Sasongko, the chief of one of the village's community units.

The residents also protested against the company on June 4, urging the regency administration to close it down.

The head of the regency's Public Order Agency, Tholib Efendi, said his office did not have the authority to shut down the factory because the company had obtained the required building and operational permits from the administration.