PAM promises tap won't run dry

JAKARTA (JP): The city-owned water company PAM Jaya yesterday gave assurances to its customers that there will be no shortages of tap water supply as the dry season reaches its peak this month.

Production director Soeharto said PAM Jaya has taken steps to avoid possible disruptions to its supply of drinking water.

"One of the steps is to increase the supply from the Jatiluhur Dam up to 20 percent," Soeharto said, adding that this should prevent any likelihood of shortages.

Jatiluhur, the main source of water for PAM Jaya, supplies about 30,000 cubic meters of water to the company per month.

As the dry season peaks in September, many have expressed concern the city water supply. The wells serving many households relying on ground water are drying up, some reports have determined.

Soeharto said the dry season has depleted much of the water from the Ciliwung river, another source of water for the company.

But with the additional supply from Jatiluhur, PAM Jaya should be able to maintain its regular capacity of supplying 12,535 liters per second throughout the city, he said.

Any disruption to its water supply, he said, could still come from "non-technical factors" such as pollution, power cuts or natural disasters.

Given that a pipe installation project linking Tarum Barat and the Pejompongan water processing center has not yet been completed, there is a possibility that the tap water supply might be disrupted.

He said many installations are still prone to disruptions caused by garbage carried by the flow of water from Jatiluhur dam into the pipe network.

The new pipe installation project is expected to be completed early next year and would improve PAM Jaya's services and even reduce its production costs.

Soeharto said that PAM Jaya still cannot meet the tap water demand in the city and that many households would have to rely on groundwater.

He predicted that given the current funds, technology and management conditions, PAM Jaya would only be able to supply the entire water needs of Jakartans until 2020.

He said the total demand for tap water in Jakarta is estimated at 28,000 liter per second, compared to PAM Jaya's capacity of only 12,500 liter per second.

"There is a possibility that we can fulfill the demand earlier if we can get more funds, cooperate with private companies in providing distribution pipes and change the management," he said. (yns)