State of Emergency after Indonesia Oil Spill

An oil spill clean up operation gets under way in the waters off Balikpapan, Indonesia.

Balikpapan, MINA – The Indonesian city of Balikpapan has declared a state of emergency following an oil spill off the coast of Borneo over the weekend, AAP reported, citing a local official.

“The state of emergency means that the public should take precautions and not light fire in the area,” said Suryanto, head of the city’s environmental office.

Police said they were investigating the disaster and a separate incident in the area, in which a tanker caught fire on Saturday, killing five people.

Environmentalists said Saturday’s oil spill near the city of Balikpapan in East Kalimantan province came from a pipeline belonging to the state energy company Pertamina.

The country’s leading environmental group Walhi said Pertamina should be held responsible for the oil spill, which has spread to cover an area of 7 square kilometres.

It also urged police to be transparent in their investigation.

“The tragic incident has caused serious pollution along the coast of Balikpapan,” said Fathur Roziqin Fen, Walhi’s director in East Kalimantan. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)