18-km water trunk line installed

JAKARTA: PT Thames PAM Jaya has invested an additional Rp 60 billion for the installation of an 18.1 kilometer trunk line with pipes ranging in diameter between 400 mm and 1,000 mm.

TPJ director of communications and external affairs Rhamses Simanjuntak said the project was required to meet the demand for new connections in several locations that were not currently being served by the drinking water network, including Kebon Pala, Pinang Ranti, Makassar, Kalisari, Ciracas, and Kelapa Dua Wetan. To date, more than 2,000 households have applied for new connections in those areas while the total number of TPJ customers has reached 324,073, Rhamses said after the symbolic trunk line groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday.

Despite some customers' complaints over its poor service, the company plans to increase the water tariff by between 25 percent and 35 percent by the end of the year.

PT TPJ is responsible for the processing, supply and distribution of clean water in the area east of the Ciliwung river while the western part is handled by PT PAM Lyonaise Jaya (PALYJA), which has about 300,000 customers. --JP