City is always thirsty

City is always thirsty

The rapid population growth and the high migration rate from rural areas into Jakarta has led to acute shortages of drinking water in the capital city every year, a study conducted by the School of Technology at the University of Indonesia says.

Indraswari Guritno, chairwoman of the program, announced here yesterday that rainfall as a source of drinking water cannot solve the problem because it only occurs on average 152 days a year and varies by area, she said.

Meanwhile, the Operation Director of the City Water Company (PAM Jaya) told the meeting that the company could only serve 40 percent of the capital's water needs.

Kusbini, the director, was quoted by Antara as saying that every Jakartan needs approximately 150 liters of water daily. This means that PAM Jaya must produce 1,312,500 cubic meters of water every day. (tis)