City trucks dumping raw sewage into vital waterway

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang

Both the Tangerang regency and municipality administrations on Saturday ordered public order officers to arrest city truck drivers known to be regularly dumping raw sewage directly into the Cisadane River.

The order was made following eyewitness accounts of sewage trucks owned by either the regency's environmental agency, the municipality's environmental agency or its settlement and regional infrastructure agency directly disposing of untreated household sewage into the Sipon irrigation canal -- which flows into the Cisadane.

Those three agencies handle the disposal of sewage throughout Tangerang and are supposed to dump their loads at the 4-hectare treatment facility in Karawaci district.

For the past several months, The Jakarta Post has also observed the truck drivers and their assistants dumping the sewage into the canal, during working hours on a daily basis.

They apparently are oblivious to the numerous signs along the canal warning people not to dispose of any waste in the canal.

The Cisadane river, flowing right through the heart of the city, is the main source of household water used by both the Tangerang regency and the municipality tap water companies.

Tangerang mayor Wahidin Halim had asked his subordinates in March to stop the activities, but apparently he too was ignored.

The municipal administration secretary Harry Mulya Zain told the Post on Friday that the agencies had told the truck drivers not to dump sewage into the canal "but the drivers have just ignored the ban."

Although they may be in violation of Bylaw No. 20/2000 on environmental management, which stipulates punishment against such offenders, the truck drivers have their own reason for the dumping.

They explained that it was more important to save time -- giving them the opportunity to make more money -- if they cut the long to trip to Karawaci short and dumped in the river. They also mentioned that the road to the treatment facility was in a bad state and thus did not make for a comfortable ride.

"We charge Rp 80,000 per household ... we are ready any time you need," one of the drivers offered as the Post approached them on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, Abdulllah, a local resident, said that soon after the media highlighted the sewage dumping into the canal last year, the activities were stopped for about two weeks.

"But one by one, the trucks appeared again, and once again, began polluting the canal. I think the Tangerang mayor should assign officers to oversee the matter and act accordingly against the heads of the related agencies for insubordination," he suggested.

Last year, former mayor M. Thamrin had promised to build high walls along the canal to stop the dumping, but nothing was done.