Water supplier gets tough on illegal connections<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
In a bid to reduce water theft that causes financial losses, PT
\nThames Pam Jaya (TPJ) water company cut illegal connections in
\nNorth Jakarta on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Workers from TPJ and top officials from city-owned tap water
\ncompany PAM Jaya, guarded by policemen and security guards, cut
\n14 illegal water connections in Sukapura and Rawa Badak
\nsubdistricts in Cakung, North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Only a little resistance was met from residents whose illegal
\nwater connections were severed.<\/p>\n
TPJ communication and external relations director Rhamses
\nSimanjuntak said the cut connections were among thousands of
\nillegal connections in the capital that had contributed
\nsignificantly to the company's financial losses.<\/p>\n
From a single illegal connection, as found in Sukapura, the
\ncompany had suffered Rp 130 million (US$15,294.12) financial
\nlosses since 2001.<\/p>\n
He said that the water theft level in Jakarta was still high
\ncompared to cities of neighboring countries.<\/p>\n
\"Forty-three percent of the water running into city
\ninstallations is being used without payment, what we call
\nnonrevenue water,\" he told reporters during the exercise.<\/p>\n
Rhamses said that TPJ aimed to reduce the nonrevenue water
\nlevel to 40 percent by the end of 2003.<\/p>\n
\"With such abundant illegal water connections, a 3 percent
\nreduction would be quite difficult for us.\"<\/p>\n
Data jointly issued recently by TPJ and another water firm, PT
\nPam Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja), showed that TPJ decreased its losses
\nfrom 57.6 percent in 1998 to 43.5 percent in December 2002 and
\nPalyja from 61 percent to 43.3 percent for the same period.<\/p>\n
TPJ and Palyja have supplied tap water to city residents since
\n1998. TPJ, which is a subsidiary of Britain's Thames Water
\nInternational, supplies customers in eastern Jakarta while
\nPalyja, a subsidiary of France's ONDEO (formerly Lyonnaise des
\nEaux), serves customers in the western parts of the city.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) urged PAM
\nJaya to focus on reducing water theft and other losses to lessen
\nits operational costs rather than burdening customers with price
\nincreases.<\/p>\n
It said that if the theft rate remained high, it would expand
\nthe operators' operational costs, which include the price of
\nvarious chemicals added during water treatment.<\/p>\n
YLKI demanded that tap water operators reduce the theft level
\nto 35 percent by the end of 2002.<\/p>\n
PAM Jaya president director Didiet Haryadi voiced suspicion
\nthat company staff were involved in making the illegal
\nconnections.<\/p>\n
\"Considering how the main pipeline was cut, I suspect it was
\nthe work of our own staff,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Didiet said he would dismiss any personnel proved involved in
\nestablishing illegal connections.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/water-supplier-gets-tough-on-illegal-connections-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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