Tri Hita Karana Perspective in Waste Disposal from a Seaweed Processing Factory Eucheuma cottonii at Jumpai Beach, Bali

Abstract

The name Tri Hita Karana comes from Sanskrit: Tri means three, Hita means happiness/prosperity, and Karana means cause. Seaweed is one of the abundant natural resources of Indonesia. In the processing which can significantly affect the quality of the final product obtained. The results of this research observed effluent waste was observed to be discharged freely from a pipe exiting the rear factory wall directly onto the beach, or into the sea at high tide. This material was collected and analysed. The processing of seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii) in this factory uses 90% Potassium hydroxide (KOH) as a raw material (as evidenced by the numerous empty sacks of KOH 90% strewn around the site, as well as direct reports from workers). This concentrated KOH is highly hazardous and is used to boil the seaweed with water. The average of a continuous concentration in different time (three hours) of K+ detected were 1000 ppm or 1% and 939 ppm or 0.939%, while the concentration of other elements detected was Cl with an average of a continuous concentration in different time (three hours) were 759.3 ppm or 0.759% and 581 ppm or 0.581%. This indicates that this factory waste contains KOH and has the potential to pollute the environment, especially sea water and the adjacent beach ecosystem. The results showed that the pH of the waste-water was 10.34 and 9.25. This indicates an alkaline pH almost certainly due to factory processing with KOH in the factory, exceeding the ideal pH value for sea water. A high concentration of KOH will cause the pH of the waste-water to shift towards alkaline and kill marine life and poison the beach ecosystem. This is worrying as the area supports a rural population who depend on fishing for much of their livelihood. The researcher concluded that the waste-water contains KOH and has highly potential to pollute the environment, especially sea water and it has not in accordance with the Balinese people, especially the Palemahan and this study indicate that the waste management process at the Jumpai Beach has not fully implemented the Laws and Regulations concerning waste management.