Hospitals struggling to get water supplies

JAKARTA (JP): With the halt in tap water supplies from the city's water companies, many hospitals in the city have been struggling to find alternative water sources.

Some hospitals have their own water recycling treatment facilities or artesian wells to supply water for their own needs. Some others have to call in water tanks from water companies.

The city's largest hospital, Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM), is one of the most severely affected hospitals.

It had to close temporarily its clinic services for new patients due to the shortage of clean water.

The head of RSCM equipment installation maintenance division, Akor Tarigan, told The Jakarta Post that with limited water supplies, the hospital could treat only the existing patients and not admit new patients.

He said the hospital was coordinating with two water companies, PT Thames Pam Jaya (TPJ) and PT Embun Pagi, to supply water to the hospital. But the two companies could not meet the hospital's daily water demand of 2,000 cubic meters.

"In the past three days, we received only 400 cubic meters of water per day. Can you imagine how many units in the hospital would be affected?" Akor said.

A TPJ member of staff, Didi Usmadi, said he could supply up to five trucks of water, or the equivalent of 75 cubic meters of water, to RSCM, per day.

"Besides RSCM, we also have to supply the Army Hospital and Mitra Keluarga Hospital 24-hours-a-day," he told the Post, adding that the water supply might return to normal by Monday.

Many other hospitals, nevertheless, managed to get water from their own wells.

They include St. Carolus Hospital in Central Jakarta, Rawamangun Hospital in East Jakarta, Pasar Rebo General Hospital also in East Jakarta and Koja General Hospital in North Jakarta.

The head nurse at St. Carolus hospital, Rosa Matondang, said that the hospital had no water problem despite the halt in supplies from the tap water company.

"We don't have to buy water from the tap water company since we have our own wells which supply water for our own needs," she said.

Ruslan, an official at the Rawamangun Hospital, said his hospital was also using artesian wells as an alternative water source following the stoppage in tap water supplies.

Agung, a technician at the state-run Pasar Rebo General Hospital, said the water supply in his hospital was not disrupted at all as the hospital had been using ground water for a long time for its daily needs.

Meanwhile, spokesman of state-run Koja General Hospital Theresia said her hospital used its water reservoir for its needs.

"The water supply is not running as usual, but fortunately we have a water tank here that can supply water," she said.

Theresia however, could not estimate for how long the water in the reservoir would fulfill the daily water requirements for hospital activities.

Tap water supplies from the city's two tap water companies, TPJ and PT Pam Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja), to customers in East, North and parts of Central Jakarta have been disrupted following the collapse of the West Tarum dike in Kali Malang, East Jakarta.

The director general of water resources at the Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure, Soenarto, has said that it would take two weeks to rebuild the collapsed dike.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso urged the directorate general of water resources, city water company PAM Jaya and state water company PT Jasa Tirta II to work around the clock in repairing the collapsed dike, and anticipated that the repair work could be completed next week.

"It's now 60 percent completed. I anticipate it will be fully completed in the first week of next month," Sutiyoso told reporters at the City Hall.

He claimed that he had ordered PAM Jaya to deploy water trucks to help supply customers, especially to public facilities such as hospitals to overcome the water shortage.

But he admitted that it would be impossible for the firm to supply water to all Jakarta customers which reached hundreds of thousands, due to limited trucks.

"Of course we could not provide water to all customers. You can't imagine how many trucks we would need," the governor said.

Asked about complaints from customers whose water supplies were cut and who faced water shortages, Sutiyoso asked the customers to complain to PAM Jaya.

"I don't know the procedure, but please take up the matter with the company if you feel you are being treated unfairly," he remarked.

Meanwhile, deputy chairman of the Indonesia Consumers Foundation (YLKI), Agus Pambagio, urged TPJ and Palyja to immediately solve the water shortage. If no immediate solution was in sight he would urge the public to sue both companies.

"We'll help people to sue those responsible for the disruption to water supplies."

TPJ, a joint venture between city water company PAM Jaya and British Thames Water International, is responsible to supply tap water to customers in eastern Jakarta while Palyja, a joint venture between PAM Jaya and French Lyonnaise des Eaux, is responsible to supply water to customers in western Jakarta.

Agus said that a share of the responsibility for the disruption to water supplies in Jakarta, should also be taken by the Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure as the latter was responsible for the maintenance of the water dams.

"The defect which caused the collapse could have been detected earlier during a regular maintenance check by the ministry. I know they have funds allocated in their budget for that but no one knows what happens to the funds," Agus said.

Agus also warned that there were at least five critical sites along the West Tarum dike that could collapse at any moment. (01/emf/jun)