Along the year 2002 the water quality degradation of Surabaya River was still getting worse and there were 9 accidents of the fish mass mortality along the river in that year. This condition was caused by lack of control from the government to the effluent discharge, so that the effluents discharged without sufficient treatment and pollute the waters along the river. The water of Surabaya River is used as raw water for drinking water supply, but the government developed industrial zone near the drinking water installation in order to increase the regional income. The water quality is suspected to contain toxic chemicals from some industrial effluents such as heavy metals, cyanide, chlorin, dioxin etc. This condition could hazard the human health that consumed the water since the water treatment couldn’t totally take all of that toxic chemical out of the water.
The effluent spill from PT Aneka Kimia on September 2002 was one of some industrial accidents that caused the fish mass mortality along Surabaya River. The effluent also polluted the potable water distributed to Surabaya people for four days and could not be used by the people. The potable water become reddish and smell caused by the mollase contained in the effluent contaminated the potable water.
The water quality degradation was caused by some factors i.e:
1. Too many industries operate along Surabaya River. Industrial effluent gives the biggest contribution to all of the waste disposed in to the river. The amount of industries has exceeded the carrying capacity of Surabaya River to netralize the effluent discharged. Along 41 km of Surabaya River there were about 400 industries that dispose their effluent to Surabaya River waters. The government control to the industrial effluent was still lack and no integrated planning on the river management since each regency flowed by the river implemented its own development plan,
2. The convertion of riparian land along the river to an industrial and residential land that almos 80% of the riparian land has become a developed area. The government could not clear this zone from illegal buildings since some big industries that given big contribution to the regional income build on this riparian land so the government faced a dillema to preserve the riparian land or to protect the industrial assets that support the economic development. There are 155 industries that used the riparian land and about 3500 residents build on riparian land. This land convertion reduced the floodplain along the river that protect the land from flood and erosion. Some house build on the riparian land had collapsed since the land was weak and vulnerable.
3. Sedimentation increase caused by deforestation of some upstream forest had increased the water turbidity that affected aquatic life and caused a degradation of water quality.
4. Domestic waste disposal on the riverbank that will pollute the river waters when the rain fall and dilute some toxic domestic waste to the river such as used battery, plastic, neon lamp that might contain toxic mercury and cadmium.
Those factors were worsed by the ineffectiveness of environmental policy. There is lack of coordination and lack of control from the environmental authority under coordination of east java governor on some institution such as provincial environmental protection agency, Water Public Work Department and Perum Jasa Tirta. The water quality decrease was indicated by the condition where most parts of the river waters did not comply with the drinking water standard. Low DO (mostly less than 4 mg/l), high BOD and COD, high conductivity and high TSS in some waters near industrial area. This caused a extinction of some river organisms such as fish, clams, freshwater turtle, birds etc. since the river condition could not support their live anymore.
To recover the Surabaya River condition to meet the water quality standard as raw water for drinking water, there are some effort could be done. The most important effort is to increase community understanding and awareness to preserve the river ecosystem since it is a main water source to the people. We have to build the same understanding between all stakeholders (government, industry, farmers and local people) to participate in the river recovery effort. In the last 5 years ECOTON has conducted some project of environmental education to the students and local community and create some aware people to preserve the river especially children. They criticize the government to give more attention on the river pollution and they sent complaint letters about the water pollution in their area on the newspaper or directly to the environmental authority. This urged the government to work harder in pollution control and river recovery program. But the government effort did not yield a significant water quality improvement yet, so the people should give more pressure and always monitor the development and industrial waste disposal activity around his area to participate in strengthening the pollution control through river monitoring.
SURABAYA RIVERS BIODIVERSITY
Surabaya River ecosystem is rich in biodiversity. ECOTON has conducted some explorative study on natural herbal mecidinal plants, birds, and macroinvertebrate since 1998. We found 56 species of benthic macroinvertebrate. Macroinvertebrate community has widely used as bioindicator of water quality. Kali Surabaya flow along 41km length starting from DAM Mlirip Mojokerto until DAM Jagir Wonokromo. Kali Surabaya has important roles for the Surabaya community and peoples who live in the surrounding of river as water supply for their drinking water. Unfortunetly, industrial and domestic activity that located at side of Kali Surabaya polluted the river and decreased water quality that affected the river organismsand thraten to extinction. Macro invertebrates most used in water quality observation because they have an endemic live on stream bed for a long time. This study collect sample from five sampling location in Kali Surabaya river for six months. The sample collection then followed by collecting, identification, diversity measurement and abundance from each sampling location, and morphology character visualization in photograph and drawings. Macroinvertebrate found was consist of 56 species within 3 phylum i.e Annelida, Arthropoda and Mollusca ; with five class and 14 order. All of orders of macro invertebrate were Haplotaxida, Lumbriculida (class Oligochaeta), Decapoda, Isopoda (class Crustacea), Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Hemiptera, (class Insecta) Eulamellibranchia (class Bivalvia), Mesogastropoda, Neogastropoda, dan Bassomatophora (class Gastropoda). From five stud ylocation, station I that have highest species amount were 29 species and station III have lowest species amount, were 11 species. Species amount at station II was lower compared to station I since it had 27 species. Station IV had 17 species and Station V had 15 species, another biodiversity is a 105 species herbal plant.
Surabaya Rivers Biodiversity (Fish, Reptilia, Mamalia and Birds)
1. Surabaya Rivers Freshwater Fish Biodiversity
1. Sili Microphis brachyurus
2. Benthik Anabas testudineus
3. Bader Puntius javanicus
4. Bader merah Puntius bramoides
5. Belud Monopterus albus
6. Brenjilan Ophiopcephalus gachua
7. Kuthuk Ophiopcephalus striatus
8. Keting Family Ariidae
9. Lele Clarias sp (Clariedae)
10. Mudjaer Tilapia mossmabic Peters
11. Nilah Paraplagusia bilineata Bloch
12. Sepat Trichogaster sp (Anabantidae)
13. Tageh Macrones nemurus
14. Wader pari Rasbora sp (Cyprinidae)
15. Wader gatul Panchax panchax
2. Surabaya Rivers Reptilia Biodiversity
1. Bulus Amyda cartilaginea
2. Nyambek Salvator monitor
3. Surabaya Rivers mamalia Biodiversity
1. Garangan Herpertes sp
2. Bajing Sundasciurus tenuis
5. Surabaya Rivers Birds Biodiversity
1.Tekukur biasa Streptopelia chinensis
2. Kareo padi Amaurornis phoenicurus
3. Bambangan kuning Ixobrychus sinensis
4. Bambangan merah Ixobrychus cinnamomeus
5. Walet sapi Callocalia esculenta
6. Bondol taruk Lonchura molucca
7. Bondol peking Lonchura punctula
8. Bondol jawa Lonchura leucogastroides
9. Bondol perut putih Lonchura leucogaster
10. Bondol tunggir putih Lonchura striata
11. Cabai jawa Dicaecum trochileum
12. Burung madu belukar Anthreptes singalensis
13. Tikusan kerdil Porzana pusilla
14. Bentet kelabu Lanius schach
15. Bentet Loreng Lanius tigrinus
16. Sikatan kepala abu Culicicapa ceylonensis
17. Prenjak coklat Prinia polychroa
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