Many people throw away garbage into the river

Many people throw away garbage into the river

Many people throw garbage into the river without realizing that
it could result in floods. The Jakarta Post interviewed several
people on the problem.

Darimah, 51, a vendor for 20 years and whose kiosk is located
near the West Flood Canal in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. She
has four children and seven grandchildren:

I throw some bits of garbage into the river here. But I keep
other stuff and also plastic waste for the garbage man when he
comes to take it away.

I always get annoyed with anyone who dumps garbage into the
river carelessly. I warn them that it could cause floods and make
the canal smell.

I even quarreled with a person who threw waste into the river.
I warned him because the district chief ordered us to prevent
anyone from throwing litter into the river.

I'm not educated but I really feel bad about how ignorant some
people are for dumping waste into the river.

Matkolil, 40, is a scavenger who sells recyclables to his boss
in Petamburan, Central Jakarta. He has one child and a wife in
Purwodadi, Central Java:

Many times I see people throw their garbage into the river.
Once I asked them if they were afraid of flooding. They replied
that it did not matter because during the rainy season the water
would carry the trash away.

Atim, 27, is a beggar and scavenger living under the Karet
Flyover in Central Jakarta. He comes from Banten. He spends his
days with his parents and siblings along the West Flood Canal:

I think beggars like us who live under the bridge have more
awareness of the environment (than most people). You can see that
we pick up the trash that is dumped into the river because it
turns into extra income for us.

I blame the rich who live near the river for carelessly
dumping garbage. I see those people every day throwing several
bags of garbage into the river.

Despite our shabby appearance, we understand about an
unhealthy life and the illnesses brought about by a poor
environment.

We have the same right to live in the city as the rich. I just
hope that they stop dumping their trash into the river so that we
can do our washing and bathing.

Budi, not his real name, is an employee of a construction
company. He has been living along the Kali Malang channel in East
Jakarta with his wife and three children for 10 years:

I can say that public awareness of the garbage issue is quite
good in my neighborhood, despite the fact that we live along the
river.

Most of us dump our garbage in the designated places in the
neighborhood. We realize that we should not pollute the river
because it is our source of tap water.

The only problem is that many times the officials responsible
for the river's sanitation forget to cut the wild grass along the
riverbanks.

-- Leo Wahyudi S