OMG!!! Sorong City Waters Contaminated with Microplastics

Dody Aleman Wamblesa Took Plastic from water

"We took 50 liters of water samples in the Remu and Klamono rivers, after being observed under a portable microscope, microplastic levels of 100-103 microplastic particles were found in the Remu river in Sorong City and 4 particles in the Klamono river", said Prigi Arisandi, further this ESN researcher explained that “the Klamono river is considered still clean from microplastic pollution compared to the Remu river”, Arisandi said in a press release received by the media on Monday, (7/11/2022)

The Generasi Peduli Sungai Klamono Community (G-PSK) collaborated with the Ekspedisi Sungai Nusantara (ESN) to conduct microplastic tests in the Remu River, The Remu River Estuary of Sorong City and the Klamono River in Lasafet District, Sorong Regency. Poor waste management "There is no waste management and the provision of waste facilities that are facilitated by the Government so that people throw their waste into the river or in Bakar", said Dody Aleman Wamblesa

Dody Aleman Wamblesa, who is also the coordinator of GPSK, said that unmanaged plastic waste filled the waterways and emptied into Sorong beach.

"Indonesia has a roadmap to reduce plastic waste into the sea by 70% by 2038, but until now waste from uncontrollable rivers enters coastal waters, and there has been no serious effort by local governments to participate in reducing the volume of plastic waste entering the sea", said Prigi Arisandi,

Prigi Arisandi, who is also an Ashoka Fellow, explained that most of the types of microplastics that pollute Sorong waters are types of fiber derived from domestic liquid waste.

The impact of microplastic contamination, in addition to threatening aquatic ecosystems and marine biodiversity, is also a serious threat to the health of the people of Sorong who often consume fish.

 

"Because the shape of microplastics is the same as plankton, fish consider microplastics to be food, the more plastic waste enters the sea, the greater the formation of microplastics and the greater the chances of fish eating plastic," concluded Prigi Arisandi. (ES)