'Industries could pollute Citarum'

BANDUNG: Some 3,000 industries located by the Citarum -- the biggest river in West Java and a major water source for Jakarta -- put it at risk of pollution.

West Java Governor Danny Setiawan disclosed on Friday that the quality, as well as the water volume of Citarum river -- which runs through seven municipalities -- is declining, and its water level fluctuating irregularly.

He said that, based on the observations of the West Java Environmental Management Agency, liquid waste dumped by the industries into the river does not meet the required standards.

Citarum and its tributaries supply water to Bandung's state water company, which caters for about 57 percent of the 2.5 million residents of the city. Besides which, the river water retained by Jatiluhur dam is the main source of raw water for Jakarta. -- JP