'I'm so worried about the state of the water'

'I'm so worried about the state of the water'

There have been reports in Jakarta that people are facing
increasing problems in obtaining clean water. Millions of people
can no longer consume water from underneath the city as it has
been contaminated by sea water or the quality is poor due to
environmental damage. Some people share their concerns with The
Jakarta Post.

Niken, 30, is a lecturer at a private university in West
Jakarta. She lives in Pondok Gede, Bekasi with her husband:

I am upset about the water situation in the city. My house has
been experiencing water problems since 1995 when I found that it
was not easy to tap water.

We have used jet pumps to tap the ground water. It's the best
pumping machine but still the water does not flow well. It seems
that as our neighbors also resource the ground water, stocks are
decreasing.

In addition, it is disgusting to see many people in the city
using water in Kalimalang River or Ciliwung River for their daily
needs. Frankly speaking, I can't watch such scenes any longer.

Public awareness on sanitation is so bad that now I am careful
whenever I want to buy food from food stalls near the rivers.

Before buying food, I'll check how they clean their plates and
what kind of water they use. If it's clean, I'll go in and buy
the food.

Veronica, 19, is the student from the University of
Indonesia's School of Law. She comes from Bandung, West Java. She
lives in Depok.

The water in Jakarta is disgusting. Every time I want to drink
fresh water, I am worried about it, despite the fact that it's
boiled water.

I have to be careful to buy drinks when I go to a food stall
because I always doubt the sanitation quality. In this case, I
prefer consuming mineral water or other bottled beverages to
drinking water served by the stall.

Sometimes, if I have a drink, I'll see whether the water is
clean and not smelly or colorful.

I think tap water served by the government or ground water
derived from pumping machines tends to be unhealthy to consume.

Therefore, I must be careful to drink only bottled water,
particularly at the makeshift food stalls in the city.

I just wonder why we don't use technology to produce ready-to-
drink fresh water like those used in advanced countries.

Novian, 27, is an employee of a leading private company in
Palmerah, West Jakarta. He has been in the city for a year after
moving from his hometown of Surakarta, Central Java:

I'm so concerned about the water condition in Jakarta. I could
not imagine a couple of years ahead, what will happen to the city
in terms of water.

The city now is overcrowded and its population has been
increasing rapidly, mainly because of migration from other cities
around the country. That will result in the increasing
consumption of water and the worsening of its quality.

The decreasing number of water catchment areas and the
increasing exploitation of ground water is a very serious problem
facing the city.

Realizing the problems, I try to care more about clean and
hygienic water. I'm always careful when buying water at food
stalls. I prefer buying bottled water or safely canned beverages.
Otherwise, I'll get sick.

It will be better if the government allocates some money to
tackle the problem of clean water in the city. Using advanced
technology to produce clean water is much better than
collaborating with the corrupt officials or businessmen who
produce the water.