Marangkayu – Pertamina Hulu Kalimantan Timur (PHKT), which is part of Regional Kalimantan Subholding Upstream, held a training in handling oil spill for the people in Marangkayu Sub-district, Thursday (9/9).   It was held at Marangkayu Subdistrict’s Public Hall and was attended by 50 participants, comprised of fishermen, pond farmers, members of youth organizations, members of tourism awareness groups, and members of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) from Sebuntal, Semangko, and Kersik Villages. The Head of Marangkayu Sub-district and the Heads of Kersik, Semangko, and Sebuntal Villages also attended the event.

“Swadaya Masyarakat Tangani Minyak Tumpah” (People’s Independent Effort for Handling Oil Spill) or Swastamita is a Community Development Program (PPM) in disaster management organized by PHKT DOBU Field. The name Swastamita originated from a Sanskrit word that means beautiful scenery when the sun sets. Swastamita program aims to protect Marangkayu’s sea, providing a reference for coastal communities to handle problems related to oil spills.

Material delivered in the training are basic, covering the definition, the causes, and the categorization of oil spill, as well as tools and ways to mitigate oil spill disaster. The training was delivered by two members of Oil Spill Santan Terminal Team, Dwi Pamiluto Nugroho and Andi Subhan. Basic knowledge concerning oil spill management is important for people to have in order to alleviate the risks of pollution, which can lead to various economic and social losses.

Representing PHKT management, Santan Terminal’s Superintendent, Binto Iskandar, expected that following the training, oil spill response teams will be formed. These teams will always be ready to do patrols in the event of oil spill at sea.

The head of Marangkayu Sub-district, Rekson Simanjuntak, was very supportive of the training. He said,“This is a joint effort to protect the seas around Marangkayu, to give more protection to the environment so that fishermen can fish without any hindrance.”

PHKT carried out this training as a form of its commitment to protect the environment through community’s capacity building so that people will be able to identify, mitigate, and conduct analysis on social, economic, and environmental impact of an oil spill. Hence, the training involved people from various walks of life, such as fishermen and the youths.