Company says water price hike due to pollution

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Tangerang regency water utility (PDAM) Tirta Kerta Raharja (TKR) blamed the severely polluted Cisadane river, which flows through the regency, for its policy to increase the tap water price.

PDAM president director Utar Sutarya said on Saturday that polluted water from the river, the utility's main source, had caused high production costs.

"The water quality in the river has continuously declined due to liquid waste being dumped into the river by industrial firms and households," he said.

Sutarya argued that his company was unable to prevent businesses from dumping their liquid waste into the river because the PDAM was only a user of the river water, like other industrial firms and the public.

"We can only coordinate with the regency health agency to survey and regularly monitor the water quality and take samples of the river water for laboratory tests at PT Sucofindo," he said.

The company -- along with Tangerang regency's environmental and health agencies and Tangerang municipality tap water operator PDAM Tirta Darma -- set up a joint team last August to carry out tests on the river. The study found that 11 companies producing a variety of products, including ceramic goods, fiber, chemicals and textiles, had been dumping liquid waste into the river.

PDAM Tirta Darma announced earlier that water purification costs in the municipality had increased significantly.

Tap water customers in Tangerang regency have voiced complaints at skyrocketing bills that are 300 percent higher than those they paid in December. They demanded PDAM TKR review its decision, but the company is unlikely to do so as officials have adamantly rejected any review of the recent hike.

Tangerang Regent Ismet Iskandar said that his administration had no intention of reviewing the hike as the local council had approved the decision.

"The councillors asked only for better service in the light of the increase. I personally believe the current price is affordable," he said.

Despite the price hike, customers in Cisoka and Ciputat districts complained about how difficult it was to get clean water and demanded the company supply them.

Cisoka district chief Toto Sudarto said residents in his area had sunk wells to a depth of up to 75 meters but the groundwater was yellowish and putrid.

"I filed complaints with Pak Ismet and the water company. They promised to supply water in cooperation with Lebak regency water utility but no clean water has been available as of now," he said.

Residents in Ciputat have also filed the same complaint.

"We have no choice but to use the smelly and yellowish water for our daily needs," Nur Jamil, a neighborhood unit chief, said. He added that for cooking, the residents bought clean water from vendors.