DKI Provincial Government to Conduct Mass Cleanup of Sailfin Catfish in Jakarta Rivers

The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government will conduct a mass and simultaneous cleanup of sailfin catfish in the five administrative city areas on Friday morning (17/4). “Tomorrow, on Friday morning, simultaneously, all five cities in Jakarta will hold an event for the cleanup of sailfin catfish,” said DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung at the DKI Jakarta City Hall in Central Jakarta on Wednesday (15/4). The decision to carry out this large-scale cleanup is based on laboratory findings showing that sailfin catfish in Jakarta’s waters contain dangerous heavy metals. Pramono explained that the substances in the fish’s body have exceeded safe limits, making their presence in the environment highly risky to humans. “From the laboratory results, almost all the fish tested in the laboratory have levels exceeding the 0.3 milligram limit. So it would be very dangerous if consumed,” said Pramono. Besides health aspects, Friday’s action also targets the physical repair of rivers damaged by the sailfin catfish’s habits. Pramono stated that this fish often destroys river wall structures and eats the eggs of native Jakarta fish, making the cleanup an urgent step to save the environment. “This fish is quite dangerous, and we have decided in the meeting earlier that in five areas we will hold activities to reduce sailfin catfish,” said Pramono. Water channel normalisation The action starting Friday morning is designed as a comprehensive environmental activity. In addition to focusing on hunting sailfin catfish, field officers will also transport mud sediment to increase the river and water channel capacity. Pramono emphasised that the main focus of this movement is to improve Jakarta’s overall water system. Efforts to repair water channels and dredge mud will run alongside the destruction of the invasive species. “But it’s not solely for sailfin catfish; we are also transporting sediment, then repairing water channels and so on,” he said. A previous sailfin catfish capture operation was conducted in Kali Cideng, right in front of Plaza Indonesia, Menteng, Central Jakarta. The activity involved 100 combined personnel from the DKI Jakarta Food Security, Maritime, and Agriculture Service (KPKP) to the Central Jakarta Gulkarmat. In that operation, officers caught 41 large-sized sailfin catfish deemed to disrupt the river ecosystem. Head of the DKI Jakarta KPKP Service, Hasudungan A Sidabalok, said the capture was part of efforts to curb the spread of invasive species in Jakarta’s rivers. He added that similar steps had previously been taken in Kali Ciliwung.