Decades On, Cengkareng Residents Forced to Stay Up Late for Clean Water

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The clean water crisis continues to plague residents daily on Jalan H Djairi, RT 05 RW 02, Rawa Buaya, Cengkareng, West Jakarta. For years, locals have had to endure PAM Jaya’s piped water service, which is deemed far from fit for consumption. In this densely populated neighbourhood, most residents have switched to using PAM water. However, the water that flows is often black, cloudy, and smells like sewage. Even when it flows, the water is frequently murky and emits an unpleasant odour. To get clean water, residents must stay up late and collect it in the middle of the night, before the supply stops or turns dirty again in the morning. Kompas.com tested the tap water at one resident’s home on Tuesday afternoon (14/4/2026). Meanwhile, at another resident’s home, no water flowed at all. Nurliana Sihombing (61), a local who has lived in the area for over 30 years, complained about the situation. She has been using PAM services for about 25 years, and the issue of dirty water quality has persisted since the beginning of her subscription. According to Nurliana, the water sometimes comes out pitch black, foamy, and with a foul smell. However, the flow returns to normal—strong and clean—every midnight. “Strangely, the water is always excellent at night. From around 1:00 to 4:30 a.m., it’s always good every day. But sometimes by dawn, it already smells, with a rotten odour,” she lamented.