Indonesian meteorology agency warns on acid rain
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The Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency has warned that the acid rain in the country contains dangerous level of pollutant that are harmful to the environment and human health, a paper said in Jakarta Thursday.
The agency categorized polluted rainwater as acid rain with pH levels below tolerable or rainwater pH levels, normally 5.6.
The pH measurement system is used to show how acidic a liquid is, and is on a scale of 0-14. The lower the pH, the more acidic the liquid is.
"A sharp decline in the pH levels of rainwater has affected most areas in Indonesia, with the worst cases recorded in big cities,"Edvin Aldrian, the agency's climate change and air quality unit chief was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying.
During the peak of rainy season between January and February last year, the pH levels were far lower than normal in all cities, Edvin said.
In July, the average pH level was between 4.37 and 5.75 with the lowest levels recorded in Manado.
Edvin said acidity levels were influenced by air pollutants.
"Rainwater brings the pollutants trapped in the atmosphere back to earth, changing the chemical composition of the surface soil and water,"he said.
Many people, mostly in big cities such as Jakarta, rely on surface water from rain or rivers as a source of clean or drinking water because of a lack of access to piped water facilities.
Acid rain can also accelerate the decay of building materials, he said.
Aldrian said sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NO2) in acid rain were the result of the burning of fossil fuels, and are both harmful to humans.
Acid rain pouring into the oceans could also damage coral and fish, he said.
Bogor Agriculture Institute (IPB) soils expert Hermanu Wijaya warned that western Indonesia could suffer massive financial losses from acid rain.
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