Fishermen Call for Help over Oil Waste-Contaminated Beaches in Riau Islands

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Several beaches in Bintan, Riau Islands have been contaminated again for the numerous time. The suspected oil waste came from a particular ship. This incident is said to have occurred frequently.

"This has been happening for a few years now and still happens today. We urge the law officers to take action," said Head of Indonesian Traditional Fishermen Union (KNTI) in Bintan, Syukur Haryanto a.k.a. Buyung Adly on Wednesday, November 3, 2021.

The oil waste is suspected to come from foreign ships that dump leftover oil from the ships' tank. The wastes were put into sacks which then to be disposed of at Out Port Limited (OPL) on the border of Riau Islands and Singapore.

In the north wind season, the wastes drifted to the shore in Bintan. Tourist beaches such as Lagoi and Trikora were then contaminated. Tourists complained about their dirty feet caused by the wastes which are hard to clean. "Merchants are faced with more difficulty due to new problems," said Buyung.

According to him, oil waste also decreases fishermen's income because their catch is lessening and they often complain about the waste problems that are never resolved.

"The country suffered losses and fishermen received the direct impact," Buyung said. 

Head of Riau Islands Tourism Office, Bulalimar said that his office will report these problems to the authorities. "Merchants are worried, and they are suffering. We hope this oil waste incidents will be resolved soon," he stated.

Read: Oil Waste Pollutes Beaches in Bintan; Tourist Sites Temporarily Off-limits

ANTARA | GRAVEN FIKRI (INTERNSHIP)