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)