PT Agri Sentral Lestari (ASL)’s palm oil factory in Dusun Danau Teluk, Cempedak Village, Tayan Hilir District, Sanggau Regency experienced a leaking waste pond on April 24, 2023, causing wastewater to contaminate the Batang Tebang river, and damaging the underwater ecosystem, causing many fish to die. Arifin, ASL’s Environmental Coordinator, stated that the waste pond leakage was due to the recent high rainfall in the area.
Arifin explained that ASL had taken emergency measures in response to the waste pond number five’s rupture. They have repaired the broken wastewater storage pond by filling it with soil, and they will also construct new embankments at different locations for future use. To avoid further contamination, ASL aims to construct a new wastewater embankment with a different size.
ASL has contacted and helped affected residents by supplying clean drinking water and distributing relief packages around the river area to provide assistance. The Sanggau Police Criminal Investigation Unit, AKP Sulastri, has visited the PKS and ASL area twice and has requested that the company stop operating until the new waste pond is ready to use.
The Police received information about the wastewater embankment’s rupture on April 25, 2023, and checked ASL on April 26, 2023. The waste pond’s embankment number five was confirmed to have ruptured, causing this river in the Tayan Hilir District to become contaminated.
The Sanggau Police have summoned witnesses to provide statements and took waste samples from the waste pond and the polluted river for testing purposes. They gathered evidence and asked the company not to use the waste pond until the new one has been completed and is functional.
