Toxic tides: life in Indonesia’s most polluted village
Tanjung Uma, a coastal village in Batam, Indonesia, is facing a severe pollution crisis due to unchecked development and environmental neglect, leading to frequent flooding with toxic waste. During recent storms, residents like Dewi Puspalani and her family had to salvage their belongings as sewage, garbage, and industrial waste flooded their home, a scene that has become tragically routine for the 9,000 households in the area.
The village, once a tranquil fishing community, has suffered greatly from Batam's rapid population growth, which surged from 47,000 in 1980 to over 1.2 million today, driven by the oil and shipbuilding industries. This growth has resulted in devastating environmental consequences, with long-time residents like Mayuteh recalling a time when the sea was blue and the storms less severe.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Tanjung Uma, a coastal village in Batam, Indonesia, is facing a severe pollution crisis due to unchecked development and environmental neglect, leading to frequent flooding with toxic waste. During recent storms, residents like Dewi Puspalani and her family had to salvage their belongings as sewage, garbage, and industrial waste flooded their home, a scene that has become tragically routine for the 9,000 households in the area.
The village, once a tranquil fishing community, has suffered greatly from Batam's rapid population growth, which surged from 47,000 in 1980 to over 1.2 million today, driven by the oil and shipbuilding industries. This growth has resulted in devastating environmental consequences, with long-time residents like Mayuteh recalling a time when the sea was blue and the storms less severe.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
