New water pipeline for Tangerang

TANGERANG (JP): City-owned tap water company PDAM Tangerang is set to improve its service by opening a new pipeline which is to serve the Pondok Aren, Pamulang and Ciputat areas.

Scheduled to begin next year, the Rp 300 billion pipeline project is expected to reach up to 30,000 tap water customers, PDAM Tangerang director Dadan Hendra Sambas said on Saturday.

"We've already come-up with a thorough project and proposed it to several prospective investors from Australia, Malaysia and the Netherlands.

They are quite interested," he said.

The tap water company, however, has not yet made any decision on the project's investors.

"We will pick investors who are able to give the best price to the people and will not burden the customers."

The project will use the Cisadane river as its source will process the water at the Serpong clean water installation.

"We aim to meet the water demands of industrial compounds as well as business and housing complexes," Dadan added.

PDAM Tangerang currently serves about 53,000 customers, both in the regency and mayoralty areas. By the end off the year the number of customers is expected to reach 60,000.

The company produces 5,000 liters of clean water per second which is consumed by about five million people.

"About 2,800 liters water per second is channeled and sold to Jakarta," he added.

Dadan, however, admitted that there were water leakages but failed to mention details on the locations.

"We are working on the leakages and fixing the pipeline," he said. "Even in the Netherlands it is hard for them to detect and cover water leakage because the pipes are underground."

He also said that the company was planning to hike the water tariff for upper level customers and to lower the fee imposed to low-cost housing complexes.

"We are studying it," he said. (41/edt)