Illegal Smelters Empowered

KOMPAS/BENEDIKTUS KRISNA YOGATAMA

This photo taken on Oct. 8 shows a furnace used to illegally burn used batteries in Kampung Janada Inpres, Jagabaya village, Parung Panjang district, Bogor, West Java. Collecting used batteries without permission and melting them violates a regulation on the management of hazardous waste materials.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — To overcome lead pollution caused by the illegal smelting of used batteries, the government cannot just close the community-owned businesses.

The handling of the illegal smelting of used batteries requires comprehensive measures. In addition to law enforcement, the circulation of used batteries also needs to be reorganized to enable licensed smelters to obtain certainty of the supply of used batteries so that safe smelting can be carried out. On the other hand, it is necessary for local governments to ensure smelting is not harmful to surrounding communities.

To solve the issues surrounding the illegal smelting of used batteries, the operators of the smelters need to be empowered. Efforts to empower illegal smelter operators, according to the head of environmental quality monitoring and assessment at the Research and Innovation Development Agency of the Environment and Forestry Ministry, Esrom Hamonangan, have been carried out by the government for several years.

"We have seen, here [in the illegal smelting of used batteries] there are human and economic elements. We cannot just close their businesses without giving alternatives. Therefore, for a long time we have asked local governments to help provide alternatives that are safe for the environment and can be run by the community," said Esrom.

The Tangerang administration and Bogor administration, according to Esrom, needs to provide integrated locations for the smelting of used batteries because these two regions still have a lot of areas where the illegal smelting of used batteries is carried out. By providing integrated locations, the Environment and Forestry Ministry can control and supervise their operation. Of course, before determining the integrated locations for smelting used batteries, it must be preceded by a feasibility study.

"With the availability of integrated locations, we can make chimneys which are equipped with dust catching equipment. This has to be automatically be

facilitated by local governments, including to check the health of the workers. Thus, the community can still work and the air is well maintained," he said.

Experts in the country have mastered the technology that can smelt used batteries safely. "It is just waiting for the implementation and commitment from local governments to help overcome this lead pollution," he said.

The director general of pollution and environmental damage control at the Environment and Forestry Ministry, Karliansyah, said action was needed as soon as possible to overcome the lead pollution caused by the smelting of used batteries. Regional governments, he said, could mobilize their law and order officers to curb the illegal smelting of used batteries. "If they are overwhelmed, the regional governments can ask for assistance from the provincial and central governments," Karliansyah said.

The central government, through the Environment and Forestry Ministry, can also take over the law enforcement by mobilizing civil servant investigators if there is no action from the local governments. However, the local governments still have to be involved because the local community needs their guidance on the adverse effects of the illegal smelting of used batteries on their health.

Karliansyah disclosed that the Environment and Forestry Ministry had cracked down on illegal smelting in Cinangka, Ciampea district, Bogor regency, West Java, in 2003 and arrested several smelter operators.

"If such illegal activity is still taking place, this data can be used for further action by law enforcement," he said.

Investigated by the police

Separately, the director of specific crimes at the National Police\'s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), Brig. Gen. (Pol) Fadil Imran, disclosed that the police had moved onto the field to check a number of illegal smelting operations. According to Fadil, the police had data on the owners of the illegal smelters. "Our members have been to the field. We have discovered the smelting of used batteries, but all locations are being investigated," he said.

Support for the government to regulate the circulation of used batteries is anticipated by the licensed smelters. So far, the circulation of used batteries is controlled by collectors and used battery dealers. Instead of flowing into the licensed smelting industry, many used batteries flow to illegal smelters.

PT Indra Eramulti Logam Industri (PT IMLI), a licensed used battery smelter in Pasuruan, East Java, strongly supports the government\'s efforts to curb illegal battery smelters. "We strongly support the government\'s steps to curb the illegal smelting of used batteries. The existence of illegal smelters is very disturbing," said director of PT IMLI HM Chanafi.

The rampant operation of illegal smelters has caused PT IMLI to only be able to operate at about 41.37 percent of its production capacity. "The illegal smelting of used batteries has disrupted the smoothness of our production. Obviously, we are forced to suffer from losses," he said.

PT IMLI is one of the five licensed used battery smelting plants in Indonesia and has received supervision from the Environment and Forestry Ministry. The five plants must complete their lead smelting from used batteries with dust catching equipment. Thus, emissions from smelting released into the air must be clean from heavy metal dust, namely lead.

The executive director of the Lead Gasoline Abolition Committee, Ahmad Safrudin, said the current circulation of used batteries is very easily controlled by dealers and collectors. Until now, used batteries have been collected at workshops and vehicle part shops so that anyone can access used batteries.

"To enable used battery smelting to run safely, licensed smelters must be optimized for their production capabilities. The role of dealers of used batteries must be completely trimmed. "Not like now, licensed smelters do not run their production maximally because they are unable to compete with illegal smugglers," he said.

According to Ahmad, it is good for the government to follow the example of several developed countries by returning the responsibility of collecting used batteries to battery manufacturers. After they are collected, the battery

manufacturers hand the used batteries to licensed smelters. Thus, the circulation of used batteries can be controlled.

"In several developed countries, used batteries are prohibited from being disposed of or sold to junk merchants. On the other hand, special boxes are provided to accommodate used batteries placed in certain shops so that there are no free sales and purchases of used batteries," he said. ( INK/ ILO/ BKY/ADY/ MDN)