Pertamina?s oil spill causes heavy pollution on Komering river

State owned oil and gas company Pertamina?s oil processing activities in South Sumatra have caused a heavy pollution in the province Komering river, Kompas reported on Tuesday.

Local resident who mostly still relied on the river for bathing and drinking could no longer use the river water due to the oil spillover. ?We have to buy water in the village across the river both for bathing and drinking,? one resident said.

The residents said that the oil spillover could also cause fire. ?If some careless people throw their cigarette butt into the river, it will easily cause fire,? one of them said.

Spokesman for Pertamina?s Plaju production unit, Husni Madjri, acknowledged the company?s oil spillover. He said that ?an emergency? situation in one of Pertamina?s refinery plant had caused part of the crude oil to spill into a canal linked to the river.

He said that the company had installed oil catcher in the canal but part of the oil spill still continued to flow into the river. He added that Pertamina would soon install an ?oil boom? in the mouth of the canal to stop the oil spill. (*)