Fidelis E Satriastanti – As attempts to contain an oil spill from a well operated by Thai and Australian companies proved futile, a conservationist warned on Sunday that the disaster would not only affect local people but also threaten the country's largest marine conservation area.
The Montara oil well began spewing a reported 400 barrels of oil a day into the ocean on Aug. 21, creating an oil slick at least 100 times the size of Sydney Harbor. The well, which is operated by Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production Australasia, is located 690 kilometers west of Darwin.
Almost two months after the oil spill started, efforts to stop the leak have yielded little result, with oil now spreading to at least 6,000 square kilometers.
"The impact is high for Indonesia, starting with the livelihood of locals in coastal areas, biodiversity, investment in the fisheries sector, and tourism," said Wawan Ridwan, director of the marine program of WWF-Indonesia.
"The biggest loss for Indonesia [as the oil spill spreads closer to its territory] is the Savu Sea conservation area because the cost for rehabilitation will be huge if the oil reaches the Coral Triangle areas," Ridwan said.
The Coral Triangle, with an area of about six million square kilometers, spans waters of six countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and East Timor. It is considered a biodiversity hotspot rich in coral and marine life. It is also home to six out of seven turtles which are known to migrate through these parts to Australia.
The Savu Sea marine conservation area, located in the Coral Triangle region, has a total area of 3.5 million hectares. It is made up of ten regencies and estimated to be home to at least 500 coral species and endangered sea turtles such as the hawksbill turtle, green turtle and leatherback turtle.
Ridwan added that about 7,000 fishermen at the southern coastal areas of East Nusa Tenggara and the country's 130,000 ton-per-year fishing industry will be badly affected by the oil spill. "We are hoping that the Indonesian government will coordinate with the Australian government to immediately resolve the issue. Montara should be forced to deal with this spill because it will harm local people and the environment," Ridwan said.
Early this month, the East Nusa Tenggara government reported that the oil spill had already affected Rote island near Australia with dead fish found in the area.
Teuku Faizasyah, a spokesman of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, declined to comment on the issue because it was still waiting for the report from the delegation sent by the transportation ministry to Darwin to discuss the issue with Australian officials.