Farmers to sue Vico over environmental pollution
Thursday, January 18 2001 - 04:00 AM WIB
Farmers in the Bukit Raya village, Samboja sub district, East Kalimantan plans to sue oil and gas company Vico for polluting their farmland, the local Suara Kaltim daily reported.
The protesting farmers said that their paddy fields had been polluted by waste materials coming from Vico's no. 51 oil drilling operation.
"Around one hectare of our paddy fields located near the oil drilling operation has been destroyed," said Sutarno, one of the protesting farmers.
He said that he had failed to make harvest from his paddy fields. He said that the paddy fields, is the sole source of earning for his family.
The paper said that several other farmers, who each have around one hectare of paddy fields have also made similar complaints.
Farmers also said that their annual crops had been affected by the Vico pollution.
Vico has been unable to be reached for comments.(*)