Clean water -- clean govt?<\/p>\n
If anything could be said to illustrate the dismal state of
\nJakarta's public services, the shortage of potable water in this
\ncity that borders the sea and is traversed by rivers is as good
\nan example as any.<\/p>\n
To cite a few statistics: Only about 600,000 people, or less
\nthan five percent of the city's population of more than 10
\nmillion, have access to water supplied by city-owned water
\ncompany PAM Jaya, which is the distributor of clean water in
\nJakarta. The rest must resort to drilling either shallow or deep
\nwells or tapping water from the city's badly contaminated rivers.
\nAbout 70 percent of those rely on groundwater from wells, while
\nthe remainder depend on river water.<\/p>\n
This is not to mention the quality of the water, even the
\npurportedly clean water, produced by a number of water companies
\nand supplied to clients by PAM Jaya. Bambang Budi, a resident who
\nis also a PAM Jaya client and lives in Cilandak, South Jakarta,
\ncomplained, in an interview published in this newspaper recently,
\n\"I buy dirty water at expensive rates.\" Another resident, Yose,
\nwho lives in Kayu Jati in East Jakarta complained that his water
\nwas muddy, especially after heavy rain. Similar complaints can be
\neasily heard by anyone who cares to listen to residents'
\ngrievances about Jakarta's public services.<\/p>\n
Mochamad Ali, a hydrology expert employed at the Ministry of
\nResettlement and Regional Infrastructure, has warned the public
\nto be careful when consuming tap water supplied by PAM Jaya, even
\nwhen it looks clean. This is because the filtering system that
\nthe company employs fails to screen micro-pollutants and disease-
\ncausing bacteria that are carried by the severely contaminated
\nriver water, which companies use as their raw water. Furthermore,
\nthe practice of adding chlorine to treat water could lead to the
\nformation of new compounds that are believed to be carcinogenic.<\/p>\n
A study carried out by the Indonesian Consumers Foundation
\n(YLKI) about a decade ago found that Jakarta's tap water
\ncontained an average of 0.0024 ppm of mercury, which is more than
\ntwice as high as the 0.001 limit set by the Ministry of Health. A
\nUniversity of Indonesia study conducted last year suggested that
\ndetergents were among the pollutants that contaminate well water
\nand raw water used by tap water firms, including PAM Jaya.<\/p>\n
Nor, generally speaking, does the groundwater in Jakarta seem
\nto be that much better. Overpopulation and the absence of a
\nsanitation system are the reasons why it is virtually impossible
\nin Jakarta to drill a well far enough removed from sources of
\npollution, such as contaminated rivers or waste disposal tanks,
\nto be safe. In addition, the uncontrolled digging of deep wells
\nis causing the increased intrusion of salt water from Jakarta's
\ncoastal areas. What this has all led to is that wells are being
\ndug deeper and deeper and that in the worst-affected areas the
\nland is in danger of subsiding.<\/p>\n
As water is one of the most fundamental needs of mankind, the
\nquestion that demands an urgent answer is, what can be done to
\nstop this alarming trend? Better enforcement of existing rules
\nand regulations is obviously part of the solution. But improbable
\nthough it may seem to some, another is the eradication of
\ncorruption. The issuance of drilling permits and use of
\ngroundwater in Jakarta are regulated by Gubernatorial Decree
\nNo.744\/1995. However, so far, few, if any, sanctions appear to
\nhave been imposed on either individuals or companies that have
\nbroken the law.<\/p>\n
Corruption is also believed to be the factor that has
\nencouraged unscrupulous individuals to tap the PAM Jaya network
\nfor water, to be resold to households not as yet connected to the
\nPAM Jaya network. Water, it must be remembered, is a basic
\ncommodity without which life is impossible. For this reason, its
\navailability to all is guaranteed by the Constitution. It seems
\nto be high time that the Jakarta city administration take a good
\nlook at the water situation in this city. With all the problems
\nJakarta is already facing, the city hardly needs another source
\nof frustration and dissatisfaction that could eventually lead to
\nunrest.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/clean-water-clean-govt-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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