'Industries could pollute Citarum'

'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