Indonesian authorities have declared a state of emergency over an oil spill off the Southeast Asian country’s coast as it continues to spread, causing environmental and economic damage. Campaigners are being accused the government of doing too little.The incident has already caused the deaths of four fishermen — one person remains missing — and authorities have warned residents against naked flames and smoking near the affected area.
“The government is so late to mitigate the impact of this incident,” spokesman Arifsyah Nasution told CNN.
“It’s already the fifth day … the handling of the oil spill is slow, which could be (due to a lack of) equipment resources.”
Nasution said despite ongoing investigations, it was still unclear who the responsible party was, while cleanup efforts were lagging.
The Indonesian government did not respond to a request for comment.
Nasution said the extent of the spill is “quite massive” and has impacted the local shoreline and marine life, adding marine mammals and seabirds will more than likely be immediately affected, while fish could ingest the oil and cause health problems further down the line.
Locals have been reported having difficulty breathing and experiencing nausea and vomiting since the fires broke out over the weekend.
The region has experienced severe spills in the past, and Greenpeace’s Nasution says that the government should focus on a future strategy how of to mitigate the impact of such incidents.