Clean water: A precious resource becoming rarer by the day
Clean water: A precious resource becoming rarer by the day
By Stevie Emilia
JAKARTA (JP): Four-year-old Atang was busy playing with his
toy, a wooden truck. But the sound of rain drops made him stop.
In a rush, he took off his shirt and shorts and ran outside into
the rain.
One might think that the boy was just having fun playing in
the rain. However, the truth is Atang was taking his bath. His
first in two days.
This might surprise those who are used to the comfort of
taking two baths or showers a day, or those who have the luxury
of having (or wasting?) gallons of water in their private pools.
Atang, at a very early age, has learned about water shortage
the hard way.
"It's not only Atang who takes a bath in the rain, but also
his sister and brothers," said Icah, a mother of four in
Cilincing, North Jakarta. Atang is her youngest child.
For Icah, rain is a blessing from God because it means more
clean water for bathing and washing. Yet, Icah is not aware that
rain water is not really clean because it carries with it various
pollutants.
Although her shack does not have proper furniture, she has
several plastic water containers of various sizes and several
huge clay pots outside her house to catch the water whenever the
rain falls.
"During the rainy season we have more clean clothes than
usual. We also bathe regularly," Icah said.
But she can not always depend on the rain. During last year's
dry season, there were times when her family could not bathe for
three consecutive days.
There were also times when she had to take her children to the
mosque, which is quite far from her house, to take a bath.
"Sometimes, I also wash my clothes there," smiled Icah.
Icah said a few years ago, her husband tried to dig a well
behind their house, but the effort was fruitless because the
water was salty and dirty. "So we just have to accept reality."
Icah and her husband, both scavengers, cannot do much with
their income. It is already difficult for them to afford Rp 1,000
a day to buy 20 liters of clean water from tanks provided by city
water company PDAM for the neighborhood.
"I only use the water I buy strictly for drinking and
cooking," said Icah. During a good day, Icah and her husband make
Rp 10,000 at the most.
Despite the difficulties getting clean water, Icah has no
plans to become a customer of PDAM.
"We're not employees with monthly salaries, you know.
Sometimes we bring money home, sometimes we don't. So how would
we pay the bill," Icah asked?
In Pademangan, North Jakarta, the situation is not much
better. In the small and filthy Sunter River, some women can be
seen washing their clothes and dishes, ignoring the garbage
floating along the river not far from where they work.
"I have done my washing in this river for a long time now, the
difference is now the river is getting dirtier," said Ijah, one
of the women.
She could use the public washing area near her house, but the
water is salty and murky.
"Washing in the river is much better for the clothes because
the water here is not salty," said the 42-year-old woman, a
mother of four.
For drinking and cooking, Ijah buys clean water from a man who
sells water from house to house for Rp 1,000 for 20 liters.
"We're poor. We're already lucky if we have food on our table.
We cannot afford to pay a monthly bill for water," said Ijah. Her
husband is unemployed after losing his job as a construction
worker. Ijah now supports the family by selling snacks from her
house.
Icah and Ijah are just two of many people who experience
difficulties getting clean water.
Saltwater intrusion in North Jakarta makes it impossible for
residents to use ground water there, while PDAM still cannot
provide service to all of Jakarta's 9.8 million residents.
The company only is able to provide clean water to about 40
percent of Jakartans, but its present joint venture with two
foreign water companies is expected to boost its services and its
customers.
A recent study conducted by the Indonesian Institute of
Science showed saltwater intrusion in the city was widespread,
reaching from North Jakarta to Kuningan in South Jakarta, Kebon
Kacang in Central Jakarta and Cililitan in East Jakarta.
Saltwater intrusion is not the only problem facing Jakartans
as water shortages hit Jakarta almost every dry season.
A survey conducted by the administration's environmental
office between January 1997 and July 1997 of 300 artesian wells
with a depth of between 20 and 30 meters showed high
contamination by substances ranging from bacteria to detergent.
The grim reality, however, does not prevent people from using
water freely, almost carelessly, because most people believe
water is an unlimited natural resource.
Faced with these water problems, the authorities have called
on people to save water and have urged the middle and upper-
classes to show solidarity with those without access to clean
water by using water efficiently.
In observance of the World Day for Water, which fell on March
22, the United Nations warned that unless more action was taken,
the number of people without access to safe water would increase
to 2.3 billion by 2025.
The UN said that at present, 20 percent of the world's
population in 30 countries faced water shortages. The figure is
estimated to rise to 30 percent of the world's population in 50
countries by 2025.
Presently, every eight seconds a child dies from water-related
diseases, such as diarrhea and dengue fever, and 50 percent of
the world's population lacks adequate sanitation.
The UN stated that water problems stemmed from inefficient use
of water, degradation of available water by pollution and the
unsustainable use of underground water in aquifers.
It also blamed water scarcity on human failure, including the
reluctance to treat water as an economic as well as public
resource and an inadequate recognition of the health and
environmental concerns associated with current water practices.
The UN said the capability to provide safe, clean water and
adequate sanitation facilities for people were two fundamental
requirements for people's well-being and dignity.