Industrial wastewater containing hazardous chemicals discharged into the Cihaur River which feeds directly to Citarum River. Captions and image source: © Greenpeace
“The Citarum River was once a majestic river. More than 220km long, it winds down from the Wayang Mountain, south of Bandung, Indonesia, and flows out to sea in Pantai Bahagia, Bekasi. Its name is derived from the words ‘ci’ meaning water and ‘tarum’, a type of plant which produced indigo dye which used to thrive there. It was also once the boundary separating the 5th century kingdoms of Galuh and Sunda. Now, the Citarum River is a river of sorrow.” Captions: Cleaning up Citarum River, Cita-Citarum.
Excerpts;
One of the world’s most polluting industries is the textile-dyeing sector, which in China and other Asian nations releases trillions of liters of chemically tainted wastewater. But new waterless dyeing technologies, if adopted on a large scale, could sharply cut pollution from the clothing industry.
Each year, one global industry gulps down trillions of liters of fresh water, together with massive amounts of chemicals. The wastewater from that industry is then dumped, often untreated, into rivers that bring its toxic content to the sea, where it spreads around the globe…
Dirty Laundry: Greenpeace Reports on Toxic Industrial Water Pollution, Greenpeace (08-26-2011)
Detox: How People Power is Cleaning Up Fashion, Greenpeace (10-27-2013)
Bangladesh Pollution, Told in Colors and Smells, The New York Times(07-21-2013)
Environmental damage usually trails rapid industrialization in developing countries. Bangladesh’s garment and textile industries have contributed heavily to what experts describe as a water pollution disaster…
Environmental activism gains a foothold in China, Guardian UK (08-31-2012)
Detox: How People Power is Cleaning Up Fashion, Greenpeace (10-27-2013)
Photo source ©© M.Angel Herrero
