Water Privatization in Jakarta ‘Not Working’

Ezra Sihite | Residents line up for clean water in West Jakarta in this file photo. The Coalition of People Rejecting the Privatization of Water in Jakarta (KMMSAJ) and the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Jakarta said on Sunday that the privatization of Jakarta's water supply hasn't helped the city's residents, where some 40 percent of households don't have access to piped-in water. (Antara Photo) age Two groups on Sunday criticized the privatization of clean water in the capital, and received the support of a candidate for the city’s governorship.The Coalition of People Rejecting the Privatization of Water in Jakarta (KMMSAJ) and the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Jakarta expressed their opposition during a forum on the city’s clean water supplies.


“LBH Jakarta and KMMSAJ took up the water problem in Jakarta because the issue has been forgotten and marginalized,” LBH Jakarta chairman Nurkholis Hidayat said. “This is a general need that should have been fought for by those concerned, especially the government.” Nurkholis said that even with the privatization of the Jakarta clean water company — state controlled PAM Jaya subcontracts water services to private companies PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) and Aetra Air Jakarta — about 40 percent of Jakarta households do not have access to piped water. The poor have to buy water at between Rp 37,000 and Rp 85,000 per square cubic meter, he said.


Nurkholis said that since signing the 25-year contracts with the two private companies in 1997, PAM Jaya has suffered from debts of up to Rp 1.3 trillion ($142 million). Its assets dropped from Rp 1.49 trillion to Rp 204.46 billion a 2007 audit showed.Those organizing Sunday’s discussion invited all six of Jakarta’s gubernatorial candidates but independent candidate Hendardji Supandji was the only one who attended.“Privatization is not problem if it alleviates the burden of the people, but it is if it’s adding to the problem,” said Hendardji, who is in the race with running mate Riza Patriya.

Gujarat High Court Stays Ship-breaking‏

New Delhi : ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA) welcomes Gujarat High Court ruling staying ship-breaking activity at the Sachana in Jamnagar district, Gujarat. The Gujarat's forest department has raised objections against the shipbreaking yards having environment clearance.Justice S R Brahmbhatt of Gujarat High Court ordered after the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) failed to provide cogent reply to queries posed by the State Forest Department regarding the location of the yard. The dispute between Forest Department and GMB has been referred to the chief secretary, Gujarat Government. The next date of hearing is on on June 18. The High Court has also issued notice to the State Government.


The Forest Department has found that the ship-breaking activities are taking place on forest land and in the Marine National Park.The hazardous ship-breaking activity at Sachana port, a fragile coastal environment is older than the shipreaking activity at Alang beach. At Sachana the activity began in 1977. At present there are 18 yards. At Alang beach the activity began in 1982-3.


Taking cognisance of the alarming levels of pollution, the the forest authorities have ordered all ship breakers to stop the activity with immediate effect in absence of environment clearance. In the Gujarat High Court the GMB supported ship breakers contention. It disputed Forest Department's claim about the limit of the Marine National Park. The shipbreaking activities were stopped at three of the yards after the Forest Department's letter. Justice Brahmbhatt asked as to why ship-breaking activity has not been stopped in all plots. The High Court has stayed all work till further orders.  


In the Supreme Court, the ship buyer of ex Exxon Valdez (currently named MV Oriental N) has filed an application for beaching and breaking the dead vessel at Alang beach, Bhavnagar, Gujarat replying to the application filed by TWA raising objections about it.

Ex Exxon Valdez Refused Interim Relief for Entry by Supreme Court

New Delhi : Following the order of Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice J. Chelameswar bench of Supreme Court in the matter of a US hazardous end-of-life vessel ha now been renamed as M V Oriental N. Its former names include Exxon Valdez, Exxon Mediterranean, Sea River Mediterranean, S/R Mediterranean, Mediterranean, Dong Fang Ocean and 'Oriental Nicety').


Today the matter was listed before the bench of Justice Deepak Verma and Justice S J Mukhopadhyaya. The bench asked whether Basel Convention has been complied with. This in effect means that Basel Convention and its Technical Guidelines besides the Guidelines of Central Pollution Control Board has to be followed. When the bench questioned about the ownership of the applicant by drawing the attention to the letter of Gujarat Maritime Board where the name of the real owner occurs. The court also asked the applicant claiming to be ship owner to disclose complete facts about the ownership. The senior counsel for the applicant insisted on passing an interim order which the court refused and made it clear that only after replies are filed by the concerned parties that the application can be heard and issued notice on the application. It will be heard after replies are filed.


Earlier in the May 3, 2012 order, Justice Kabir headed bench said: "The respondents in the interlocutory application will be entitled to file their respective counter affidavits to the same, within six weeks. Rejoinder thereto, if any, may be filed within two weeks thereafter. Let this interlocutory application, as well as the other connected interlocutory applications, be listed on 13th August, 2012, also."


Following the order the movement of the dead vessel is under scrutiny.The matter was heard on May 11, 2012 and on May 14, 2012. The original application was filed by convener of ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA).Responding to the court's order on this application, the buyer of the ship Best Oasis Company, (a subsidiary of Priya Blue Industries Pvt Ltd) based in Bhavnagar, Gujarat filed an application that was heard today.Best Oasis Company reveals itself as Hongkong based.

Groundwater in Vadodara village scares

Contamination Villagers in state’s ‘vegetable basket’ say yield has declined; dye unit in dock 
A seismology report has indicted a multinational company’s dye production unit for groundwater contamination near Vadodara even as the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) says the company has submitted detailed remediation plans after closure notices were issued January this year. The report by Gandhinagar-based Institute of Seismological Research, which was made public by the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti (PSS) on Monday, states that chemical leakage from the captive treatment stabilisation disposal facility (TSDF) of Baroda Textile Effects Ltd, a company bought by Singapore-based Huntsman Group from Metrochem Industries 

Ltd in 2009, was contaminating groundwater in Luna village of Padra taluka in Vadodara district. Luna and surrounding villages are known for their drumstick production and the area is often referred to as Gujarat’s vegetable basket. However, water in and around 55 wells and tubewells in Luna has turned red or yellow. Sanjay Patel, the sarpanch, says yield has declined due to the groundwater contamination. The ISR, an institute under the state’s Department of Science and Technology, conducted surveys near the TSDF and detected cracks at the bottom and in the western wall of the tank. 

“It can be concluded that the chemical leakage from the western and northern sides of waste disposal tank of the TSDF site may migrate to some distance through the weak planes and contaminate the ground water. From the traces of colours or dyes present in the well water, it can be said that pollution at Luna village could be due to leakage from the waste disposal tank,” the report concluded. The TSDF, spread over 14,000 sqm with the capacity to store 80,000 cubic metres of solid waste, was constructed in 1997 with a projected life till 2003. However, the report points out the industry kept on using the tank beyond its life and also raised its height by three metres in 2006, subsequently dumping 50 per cent more waste than the capacity. 

Entry of ex US ship Oriental Nicety (ex Exxon Valdez) in Indian waters not permissible without prior decontamination‏

New Delhi : Justice Altamas Kabir headed Supreme Court’s bench heard the application against a US hazardous end-of-life vessel named 'Oriental Nicety' (formerly Exxon Valdez, Exxon Mediterranean, Sea River Mediterranean, S/R Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and Dong Fang Ocean) that has been purchased by Best Oasis Company, (a subsidiary of Priya Blue Industries Pvt Ltd) based in Bhavnagar, Gujarat on May 3, 2012. The court observed that without the prior decontamination of the ships in the country of export, no dead ship including 'Oriental Nicety' (formerly Exxon Valdez) can be allowed entry in Indian waters.


This is a dead ship for dumping in the Indian waters in the name of dismantling and recycling. This is a second such ship originally from USA that is outwitting Indian laws. The USA’s regulations and European Union regulations prohibit the entry of such vessels. There are 173 plots to carry out the ship-breaking activities for secondary steel retrieval on the Alang beach under the supervision of Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), which has no competence in such industrial processes.


While a total of 5924 end-of-life ships were permitted between 1982 and 2012, there is no data available as to the quantity of hazardous wastes which has been dumped. How much PCBs, PCTs, asbestos wastes, radioactive and other hazardous materials have come to the country, is not known. How many workers, villagers have been affected and the extent and enormity of contamination of Alang beach is also not known.It is not understood how the ship breaking activities is continuing when there is no landfill facility available. Obviously, illegal dumping of hazardous wastes is going on, which is totally illegal.


It is noteworthy that actions and agencies identified by Court constituted Inter-ministerial committee (IMC) on shipbreaking in the pursuance of eighteen recommendations of Prof M G K Menon headed High Power Committee that were accepted by the Court has not been complied with. The minutes of IMC repeatedly underline security concerns. The annexed document underlines the need for Ministry of Defence to probe Hazardous Wastes Trade and movement of end-of-life ships in Indian wasters. The application has sought direction for compliance.