400 Drums of Radioactive Soil Collected in Serpong: Batan

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) had reportedly collected 400 drums loaded with radioactively contaminated soil and vegetation from the Batan Indah housing complex in Serpong, South Tangerang, Banten.

“As of yesterday (Thursday, Feb. 27), on the thirteenth day of the cleanup process, we have taken 400 drums of lands and vegetation that are indicated to be radioactively contaminated,” said Batan Chief, Anhar Riza Antariksawan, during a press conference in Puspiptek, South Tangerang, Friday, February 28.

The drums are stored at the Radioactive Waste Technology Center (PTLR) in Puspiptek, South Tangerang and are subject to increase considering the decontamination efforts are still afoot in the area.

The PTLR Head Sumarbagiono ensured that the drums are stored in warehouses with a high-level security system. 

As previously reported, the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) discovered radiation exposure in the vacant land in Batan Indah housing. Later it was known that the source was metal produced by nuclear reactions, Cesium 137 (Cs-137).

The radioactive material mixed with the soil and caused radiation exposure measuring 140 microsieverts (micro Sv) per hour or thousands of times from the normal threshold in the environment. On Friday, Anhar said, the measured radiation was 2 micro Sv per hour.

Anhar pledged that Batan would continue to clean up and dredge 40 centimeters of land exposed to radiation in the residential complex in a bid to reduce the level of radioactive exposure.

Following the radiation contamination, the police were examining a resident identified as SM since the latter stored the same material in his house.

ANTARA