Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – Nearly a hundred residents in Cikande district in Serang regency, Banten, have been evacuated from their homes as the decontamination process continues in the area following a radioactive leak that prompted national attention.
The Environment Ministry's task force in charge of cleaning up Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a man-made radioactive isotope, has recently relocated 91 residents from two of Cikande's designated "red zones" after Cs-137 was found in food products coming from the district's Industrial Estate earlier this year.
Task force head Rasio Ridho Sani said the relocation was part of ongoing decontamination of the 22 factories located inside the district.
"We continue to accelerate our decontamination effort," Rasio said on Monday, as quoted in a press release from the ministry. "In addition to the 22 factories, decontamination is also being carried out at 12 other locations where Cs-137 has been detected, including vacant land, stalls and residential areas."
The radioactive cleanup effort came after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detected in August the Cs-137 isotope in a sample of frozen shrimp and in September in cloves imported from Indonesia, prompting the agency to impose new certification requirements for Indonesia's exported shrimp and spices.
The government has since suspended several production facilities in Serang and formed a task force to inspect and decontaminate areas around the Cikande Industrial Estate.
The Environment Ministry said on Monday that 21 of the 22 contaminated factories have now been successfully decontaminated and allowed to resume operations. Meanwhile, of the 12 non-industrial sites identified with traces of Cs-137, five have been declared clean, while decontamination continues at the seven remaining areas.
The ministry aims to declare all affected areas safe by December at the latest.
Rasio said the decontamination was being carried out under the supervision of radiation protection officers and experts from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten). Residents were required to undergo radiation screening and health checks before relocation.
"We are ensuring the radiation safety of both residents and medical personnel," Rasio said, noting that the temporary relocation was necessary to prevent public exposure to airborne radioactive dust during the decontamination process.
This marked the third phase of the evacuation process after the first phase on Oct. 22, which involved 63 residents, and the second on Oct. 26 involving 28 residents.
Previously, nine workers at the Cikande industrial area were found to be exposed to the Cs-137 isotope and were hospitalized at Fatmawati Hospital in South Jakarta earlier this month.
Task force spokesperson Bara Hasibuan said their exposure levels were "relatively mild", with only nine people testing positive out of approximately 1,562 employees and nearby residents.
The National Police has launched a full criminal investigation into the Cs-137 contamination outbreak this month, with Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq saying that investigators were tracing two potential contamination sources: imported scrap metal possibly containing radioactive residue, and leaks from industrial Cs-137 use.