Customers still complaining over PDAM water services

Customers still complaining over PDAM water services

JAKARTA (JP): Although the management of tap water supply in
the capital has been handed over to joint venture companies, many
Jakartans are complaining about the same old things: poor water
quality, leaking pipes and erratic billing.

In a meeting with executives of city-owned water management
company PDAM Jaya and the joint venture companies, some of the 50
consumers invited to a discussion said they had often lodged
complaints with PDAM Jaya offices but had never received
satisfactory answers.

Nuraini, a consumer from Buaran in East Jakarta, told the
meeting held by the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) that
she was charged Rp 1.5 million one month because she had a
leaking pipe at her new rented house in 1997. The bill was for
the month prior to her moving in.

"I had to pay because the water supply to my house would have
been cut off if I didn't," she said.

Nuraini also complained that she had been billed Rp 59,000
monthly for five consecutive months even though she had used
different amounts of water each month.

"I often asked about it but never received a satisfactory
explanation. I then decided not to pay the bills, and so far I
haven't been asked to pay," she said.

Many of the meeting's participants shared similar experiences.

Zoemrotin K.S from the YLKI said she had not paid any water
bills for three months but, so far, nobody from the companies had
contacted her about it.

"It indicates bad management," Zoemrotin said.

Another consumer, Tias Ananta from Kelapa Gading, North
Jakarta, complained of bad water quality.

As with their experiences when lodging complaints at PDAM Jaya
offices, the water consumers at the meeting claimed they received
unsatisfactory responses from both PDAM Jaya president Rama Budi
and executives Bernard Lafrogne of PT Pam Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja)
and Nani S. of PT Thames Pam Jaya (TPJ).

Rama Budi first asked Lafronge and Nani to answer the
consumers' complaints owing to the fact that PDAM Jaya's duties
only cover the supervision of water treatment and the
determination of water rates.

But neither Lafronge or Nani could give satisfactory
explanations and later asked Rama to reply to the questions.

Amazed at the response, Zoemrotin then smiled and commented:
"I see disharmony between PDAM Jaya and its partners here."

The two joint venture companies, after signing a cooperation
agreement last year, started operation here on Feb. 1.

According to Zoemrotin, YLKI had received many complaints from
water consumers from January last year to July this year.

Most of the complaints were about the quality of water,
inaccurate billing, increasing tariffs, leaking pipes and slow
response to applications for new installments. (jun)