Many people throw away garbage into the river<\/p>\n
Many people throw garbage into the river without realizing that
\nit could result in floods. The Jakarta Post interviewed several
\npeople on the problem.<\/p>\n
Darimah, 51, a vendor for 20 years and whose kiosk is located
\nnear the West Flood Canal in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. She
\nhas four children and seven grandchildren:<\/p>\n
I throw some bits of garbage into the river here. But I keep
\nother stuff and also plastic waste for the garbage man when he
\ncomes to take it away.<\/p>\n
I always get annoyed with anyone who dumps garbage into the
\nriver carelessly. I warn them that it could cause floods and make
\nthe canal smell.<\/p>\n
I even quarreled with a person who threw waste into the river.
\nI warned him because the district chief ordered us to prevent
\nanyone from throwing litter into the river.<\/p>\n
I'm not educated but I really feel bad about how ignorant some
\npeople are for dumping waste into the river.<\/p>\n
Matkolil, 40, is a scavenger who sells recyclables to his boss
\nin Petamburan, Central Jakarta. He has one child and a wife in
\nPurwodadi, Central Java:<\/p>\n
Many times I see people throw their garbage into the river.
\nOnce I asked them if they were afraid of flooding. They replied
\nthat it did not matter because during the rainy season the water
\nwould carry the trash away.<\/p>\n
Atim, 27, is a beggar and scavenger living under the Karet
\nFlyover in Central Jakarta. He comes from Banten. He spends his
\ndays with his parents and siblings along the West Flood Canal:<\/p>\n
I think beggars like us who live under the bridge have more
\nawareness of the environment (than most people). You can see that
\nwe pick up the trash that is dumped into the river because it
\nturns into extra income for us.<\/p>\n
I blame the rich who live near the river for carelessly
\ndumping garbage. I see those people every day throwing several
\nbags of garbage into the river.<\/p>\n
Despite our shabby appearance, we understand about an
\nunhealthy life and the illnesses brought about by a poor
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
We have the same right to live in the city as the rich. I just
\nhope that they stop dumping their trash into the river so that we
\ncan do our washing and bathing.<\/p>\n
Budi, not his real name, is an employee of a construction
\ncompany. He has been living along the Kali Malang channel in East
\nJakarta with his wife and three children for 10 years:<\/p>\n
I can say that public awareness of the garbage issue is quite
\ngood in my neighborhood, despite the fact that we live along the
\nriver.<\/p>\n
Most of us dump our garbage in the designated places in the
\nneighborhood. We realize that we should not pollute the river
\nbecause it is our source of tap water.<\/p>\n
The only problem is that many times the officials responsible
\nfor the river's sanitation forget to cut the wild grass along the
\nriverbanks.<\/p>\n
-- Leo Wahyudi S<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/many-people-throw-away-garbage-into-the-river-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }