Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo, East Java – Hundreds of fish and shrimp farmers in Porong and Jabon districts, Sidoarjo regency, East Java, have demanded the Sidoarjo Mudflow Handling Agency (BPLS) stop dumping mud into the Ketapang and Porong Rivers, saying the practice has caused a sharp drop in the productivity of their farms.
Suharsono, a coordinator of a group of fish farmers in Permisan subdistrict, Jabon, said that hundreds of fish and shrimp farmers were facing harvest failure because dozens of tons of fish and shrimp have died because of the mud that has been dumped into both rivers.
"Dozens of farmers in Permisan subdistrict failed to harvest twice in June and have incurred tens of millions of rupiah in losses. We demand the BPLS temporarily stop dumping mud into the rivers for a month because we are currently raising new hatchlings," Suharsono told The Jakarta Post earlier this week.
Suharsono explained that during that hatching period farmers needed clean water from the rivers to fill their shrimp ponds.
Based on previous experience, the hatchlings die when farmers fill the ponds with water from the muddied rivers.
"We believe the river water has been polluted. Before the mudflow disaster, farmers used to take water from the rivers and they never encountered problems," he said.
The disposal of mud into the Porong River is stipulated in Presidential Decree No. 14/2007, that the entire cost of managing the mud be covered by Lapindo Brantas Inc., the company at the center of the disaster.
The company claims it has so far spent Rp 6.1 trillion (US$6.1 million) handling both social and physical issue stemming from the mudflow.
A number of environmentalists and maritime experts from the Surabaya based November 10 Institute of Technology (ITS) including Mukhtasor, however, are opposed to the disposal of mud into the Porong River.
According to Mukhtasor, disposing of the mud into the river could damage the river biota, harm hundreds of milk fish farmers, reduce the catch of fishermen in Pasuruan regency and obstruct the shipping route through the Madura Strait.
Surabaya Mayor Bambang Dwi Hartono said his office had asked the relevant agencies to conduct studies on the risks the hot mudflow might pose to the Mangrove Center, which is located along the east coast of Surabaya.
He said the municipal administration plans to develop the region into a bird and mangrove conservation area.
BPLS deputy operational manager Soffian Hadi said his office was working together with the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry to conduct research to determine what impact the dumping of the hot mud into the river is having on local fish production.
"There is yet to be any research indicating that mud disposal into the rivers has caused the death of thousands of fish in the rivers and fish farms," he said. He added that the mud would not reach the Madura Strait or the coast of Pasuruan, but would settle along the coast of Sidoarjo, where it is neutralized by the mangroves planted by the BPLS.
"I myself conducted a study on the Porong River some dozens of years ago, long before the mudflow disaster occurred. There is no need to worry about the dumping of the mud into the Porong River," Soffian said.
BPLS public relations staffer Akhmad Kusairi said his office would coordinate with the farmers, to arrange a schedule for the dumping in an effort to appease the farmers.
"We are currently minimizing mud disposal into the river due to limited funds from Lapindo Brantas Inc. We are channelling the mud into a retaining pool in Renokenongo subdistrict for the time being," he said.