Protecting water sources<\/p>\n
Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The quality of Indonesia's water sources continues to be
\ndegraded with the widespread use of rivers to dump industrial and
\nhousehold waste.<\/p>\n
Consequently, many existing water sources have been polluted
\nand contaminated with hazardous substances such as asbestos, lead
\nand mercury.<\/p>\n
The deteriorating quality of raw water and the scarcity of
\nwater sources have made it even more difficult for the country's
\ntap water and bottled water producers to provide clean water.<\/p>\n
Tap water operators PT Thames Pam Jaya (TPJ), PT PAM Lyonnaise
\nJaya (Palyja) and their partner, the city-owned water company Pam
\nJaya, have to make extra efforts to provide clean water for
\ncustomers because much of their raw water is sourced from heavily
\npolluted rivers.<\/p>\n
Raw water for TPJ and Palyja's treatment plants comes to
\nJakarta from the Jatiluhur reservoir in West Java and through the
\nWest Tarum Canal system covering about 78 kilometers.<\/p>\n
The quality of the raw water is seriously degraded during this
\njourney, especially when it reaches Jakarta, where many
\nindustries, including hospitals, dispose their untreated waste
\ninto the rivers, not to mention the garbage from households. This
\npollution also occurs in Bekasi River, one of the three rivers
\nthat intersect the West Tarum Canal.<\/p>\n
To ensure the quality of the water complies with the standards
\nset by the Ministry of Health, TPJ, for example, has had to adopt
\na daily monitoring system of its water sources.<\/p>\n
\"Monitoring starts from the raw water that the company
\nreceives from Kalimalang River, to water processing, production
\nand distribution,\" said TPJ public relations manager Devy A
\nYheanne.<\/p>\n
At least 1,000 samples of water are taken for quality analysis
\nevery month.<\/p>\n
\"We also involve an independent party in monitoring the water
\nquality on a regular basis,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The poor quality of the raw water supply makes the company's
\nwater treatment operations very expensive, especially during the
\ndry season when pollution levels in the raw water rise.<\/p>\n
In addition to the high-cost of treatment, unauthorized
\nconnections also hamper the company's efforts to provide clean
\nand cheap water to its customers.<\/p>\n
For tap water companies like TPJ and Palyja, efforts toward
\nproviding safe and affordable water do not rely only on the
\ncompanies' sophisticated technology, but also the people's
\nparticipation in helping to protect water sources, particularly
\nchanging their habit of dumping garbage into the rivers.<\/p>\n
Water theft is also another growing problem. The increasing
\nnumber of unauthorized connections has made things even worse
\nbecause the illegal connections often disrupt the supply to
\npaying customers.<\/p>\n
This explains why educating people has become a top priority
\nof the two companies. TPJ has introduced a regular public
\nrelations campaign to improve the people's awareness of the need
\nto conserve and protect water sources. The campaign has included
\ntraining programs and a writing competition for students.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, more residents of West Jakarta, South Jakarta and
\nparts of Central and North Jakarta have access to clean water
\nfollowing Palyja's effort to develop and repair its water pipe
\nnetwork.<\/p>\n
The company now provides to over 2.9 million customers. As of
\nNovember 2004, the company has invested Rp 748 billion in
\ninfrastructure and clean water facilities, with some of this
\nmoney going to repair existing pipelines.<\/p>\n
\"More efforts will be taken to rehabilitate old or damaged
\npipes and to replace broken ones in order to reduce leakage,\"
\nsaid Palyja public relations manager Maria Sidabutar.<\/p>\n
Palyja's water treatment plants include one in Pejompongan in
\nWest Jakarta, Cilandak in South Jakarta and Taman Kota in Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
The company is also actively engaged in hunting for illegal
\nconnections. \"We also encourage the public to inform us of any
\nleakage or illegal connections so that the problem can be solved
\nquickly,\" Maria said.<\/p>\n
She said people played an imported role in improving and
\nmaintaining the quality of water. Therefore, since its
\nestablishment in 1998, the company has made various efforts to
\npromote awareness among the public of the importance of
\nprotecting and conserving water sources.<\/p>\n
Following its successful program to provide basic information
\non the importance of clean water to elementary school students
\nand teachers in 2001, Palyja recently launched a campaign
\ninvolving non-governmental organizations and village leaders. As
\npart of this program, the NGOs and village leaders will be
\nencouraged to implement water conservation programs in
\ncooperation with the company.<\/p>\n
Concern over the need to protect and conserve existing water
\nsources is also shared by bottled water companies such as PT Aqua
\nGolden Mississippi.<\/p>\n
Aqua, which uses natural water sources from mountain springs,
\nis involved in re-greening projects in water catchments areas
\naround Mount Salak in West Java, from where its raw water is
\nsourced. These include water catchments areas in Kubang, Babakan,
\nPari and Sukabumi.<\/p>\n
In carrying out these programs, Aqua works with various
\nparties and organizations, including the Bogor Botanical Gardens,
\nlocal administrations, non-governmental organizations and village
\nleaders.<\/p>\n
The Bogor Botanical Gardens advises the company on matters
\nrelated to planting trees to re-green water catchment areas.<\/p>\n
\"They know how to select quality seeds for conservation,\" said
\nPT Aqua Golden Mississippi corporate secretary Parmuningsih
\nHadinegoro.<\/p>\n
Aqua also plans to introduce the government-initiated \"Bank of
\nTrees\" program.<\/p>\n
\"Under this program, we will provide quality seeds needed for
\nre-greening projects in the country,\" Parmuningsih said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/protecting-water-sources-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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