Rivers used as toilets, dump sites for sewage<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Despite the city administration's clean river program (prokasih),
\nlaunched in the early 1990s, major rivers in the capital are
\nstill used as a dump site for various wastes including untreated
\nsewerage.<\/p>\n
Most people living along the riversides have their toilets
\nlinked directly to the rivers by pipes. While other residents of
\nthe city use septic tank disposal services that later dump the
\nwaste directly into the rivers.<\/p>\n
Baji, 49, a resident of the Semanan subdistrict in West
\nJakarta, said nearly all squatters living on the banks of
\ntributary of the Cisadane river dumped human waste into the
\nriver, which is located along Jl. Daan Mogot.<\/p>\n
"It's common here. No one has asked us not to dump the waste
\ninto the river," Baji said innocently on Friday. He added that
\nall of his 10 small houses, which are rented mostly to textile
\nfirm workers in the area, have their toilets directly linked to
\nthe rivers.<\/p>\n
A similar practice could also be found in Rawa Buaya
\nsubdistrict along the same Cisadane tributary in West Jakarta,
\nand in a number subdistricts along the Ciliwung river, including
\nManggarai Selatan and Manggarai Utara in South Jakarta, as well
\nas Kebon Manggis and Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Unlike in Semanan and Rawa Buaya subdistricts in West Jakarta,
\nmany toilets were seen along the Ciliwung river in Manggarai
\nSelatan, Manggarai Utara, Kebon Manggis and Kampung Melayu.<\/p>\n
"Apart from dumping the untreated sewerage into the rivers,
\nthe people also wash their clothes and other things such as
\nvegetables there," said Rudi, a resident of Manggarai Selatan.<\/p>\n
In Rawa Buaya, there are a number of public toilets built by
\nthe city administration's tap water company PT PAM Jaya, which
\nalso dumps the waste in the rivers.<\/p>\n
"The public toilets are provided with tanks, which are
\nconnected by pipes to the river," said Cep Hasyim, a resident of
\nRawa Buaya, who runs the public toilets.<\/p>\n
Sahadi, another resident of Semanan, said that after removing
\nthe waste from the septic tanks, the waste disposal services dump
\nthem directly into the Cisadane tributaries. He added that the
\nwaste spread an unpleasant odor in the surrounding neighborhood.<\/p>\n
"Usually, they dump the waste at night. Once some youths tried
\nto catch them, but they failed," he said, blaming the city
\nadministration for the incident.<\/p>\n
Deputy head of the city sanitation agency, Rama Boedi, denied
\nsuch a practice. "It is impossible that they still dump the waste
\nin the rivers. But if people really discover that such a practice
\nhas occurred, they should report to us. We will revoke their
\nlicenses," Rama told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
But, Rama said that his agency was powerless to control the
\ndumping of human waste by squatters and other residents into the
\nrivers, despite the fact that it would be detrimental to the
\nhealth of residents there.<\/p>\n
The waste spread E coli bacteria in the river water that can
\nin turn can penetrate people's potable water supply, especially
\nground water pumped from wells. The E coli bacteria can cause
\ndiarrhea, which can be fatal.<\/p>\n
Baji admitted that diarrhea was common in his area,
\nparticularly affecting children. But he was not aware that it was
\ncaused by E coli bacteria due to the poor sanitation in the
\nneighborhood.<\/p>\n
In view of such a situation, the city administration announced
\nrecently that it would cooperate with Global Grid of New South
\nWales, Australia, to manage human waste as part of its efforts to
\ncurb the spread of E coli bacteria.<\/p>\n
The Australian company will invest some Rp 50 trillion (around
\nUS$5.36 billion) in the project whose Memorandum of
\nImplementation agreement will be signed in June.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rivers-used-as-toilets-dump-sites-for-sewage-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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