On March 31st, a crude oil pipeline belonging to the Indonesian state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina burst in the Balikpapan Bay of Borneo, leading the government to declare a state of emergency. Five people were killed by a fire that broke out due to the spill, as were an endangered Irrawaddy dolphin and crabs who washed up dead on the shore.
Coastal residents experienced vomiting and suffocation from the fire as the oil slick quickly spread over 50 square miles into the Strait of Makassar. By April 6th the spill had already contaminated an area larger than the size of Paris, which stands at roughly 41 square miles. 84 acres of Mangrove forests are covered in oil in Kariagau Village and 6,000 Mangrove trees and 2,000 seeds are covered in Atas Air Margasari village.
Originally denying that the oil was from their pipeline, it took until April 4th for the government and Pertamina to admit that their pipeline was the cause of the leak, and until April 3rd for them to shut the pipes. They have yet to take full responsibility, as there is an ongoing investigation, claiming that the burst was the result of a foreign coal vessel’s anchor dragging the pipeline 120 meters from its original location. But whether it was an anchor or a faulty, old pipeline, the deathly results are the same. And crude oil is not a safe or sustainable energy source.
The Balikpapan Environmental Agency claims that cleanup is at 90 percent, due to containment and a chemical that disperses the oil to more readily dissolve in the water. But scientists have shown that cleanup is never finished. Only the surface of the water can be cleaned. And the initial damage of a spill can cause a lasting toxicity on an ecosystem.
25 years after the Exxon Valdez ruptured in Alaska, there are still oil slicks on the water and oil trapped beneath the beach. 4 years after Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, dolphins and turtles were still dying in that area in greater numbers than ever before. It isn’t just about cleaning the surface, it’s about how far and how deep the oil travels.
Earlier in March, an oil spill in the Lizama and Magdalena Rivers in Colombia caused similar results. 70 families were treated for health problems and 2,400 animals were killed.
The evidence for ditching oil for renewable energy sources and keeping our waters free of pollution is astounding. Yet Indonesia was proposing three new pipelines in Borneo as recently as January of this year. If it’s possible for any good to come out of this latest oil disaster, it would be Indonesia recognizing the need for renewable energy sources and abandoning this plan.
“Only when the last tree has died, and the last river has been poisoned, and the last fish has been caught, will we realize that we cannot eat money.” ~Cree Proverb
Irresponsible companies and countries always have to prove the environmentalists right. BP did not give a damn when they caused the spill in the gulf of Mexico from unmaintained pipelines and other equipment. Every company is punished as a result. There is a huge oil spill every year off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, much large than the Exoon Valdez spill in Alaska. Because it is natural, no one does anything about it! It still pollutes the same, but, because the environmentalists cannot hang it on an evil oil company, they pretend that it does not exist. A valuable resource is allowed to be wasted and pollute the California coastline.
I’m not quite sure how to say this; you made it exreemtly easy for me!
We need safer alternative ! So awful that many animals died from this oil spill, and that humans got sick. The waters are also effected badly. This is not right !
Sad.
This possibility threatens the whole world. Oil is dangerous. New alternatives are necessary.
Everywhere all over the world needs to speak OUT against anymore drilling and leasing of any area for fossil fuel extraction! People in Democratic countries DO have a voice and should USE IT!!! Call your Congress Members often and demand that they support Solar, Wind, GeoThermal, Wave Technologies and other innovations that are renewable and clean! We can also being to use our own garbage-sequester the exhaust from it to power the plants-Sweden does this and has ZERO waste! IF we don’t WAKE UP-we WILL destroy the ONLY planet we have to live on!!!!
I would also add to conserve and consume LESS energy, gas, etc. everyday by making simple changes and choices-carpooling, NOT idling unless at a light-driving less, using public transit when you can. Also keeping our homes, businesses cooler in winter and warmer in summer-turning off lights, televisions, computers when not in use, etc!!! Every little bit helps!!!!
OMG! What a disaster. These Ifing oil companies should all be held fully accountable no excuses none!
Terrible!
To SMOG je zdravší ako čistý VZDUCH ???- NUTNE to ZASTAVIŤ !!!
This is why oil spills, pipelines & fracking are NOT safe!.They can destroy our water ,air & entire environment.These companies & EPA love greed at no matter the human or climate destruction!
We need to become a low carbon planet and SOON. Extracting oil from hard to reach places is fraught with danger to animal and human health, and when things go wrong the industry must be compelled by law to mitigate the damage. They have far too much power but that is down to corrupt governments evertwhere!
It isn’t just Indonesia that needs to recognize the need to be less dependent on fossil fuels and be more dependent on biodegrable alternatives. We all do. This is very sad. All the sadder because it was so avoidable.
All these companies and countries deal with this black earth poison is for greed there is never a foolproof operation out there anywhere. They don’t want sustainable because of developmental cost hurting the bottom line. They lie about spills, don’t clean them up even close to respectable and most companies have government in their pockets. This case it’s just a lying, corrupt government itself trying to cover it up. Shame on all of you. Killers of humans, animals, birds, fish, complete eco systems and much, much more. Dont give a damn about future generations its all about how many billions now regardless of the costs (LIFE ITSELF)
Your honstey is like a beacon
How sad. And it should never have happened.
Stop oil spills, very dangerous
That’s a nicely made answer to a chgalenling question