PAM Water Supply Potentially Disrupted, Cengkareng Residents Prepare

A number of residents in the Cengkareng area of West Jakarta have begun preparing for a potential disruption to their piped water supply (PAM) scheduled from Friday (17/7) to Wednesday (22/7). Yanti, a 42-year-old resident of RT 08/RW 06, Cengkareng Barat, received information about the water cut from the head of the local community unit and has been readying available containers to store water. “The plan is to store water tonight. I only have a barrel, buckets, and a tub,” Yanti said in Cengkareng on Thursday evening. Lacking a water tank, she is also filling empty gallon containers, noting she has about four used ones. Yanti hopes the water cut will not last the full duration due to the daily urgent need for water. If her stored supply runs out, she plans to buy water from vendors at Rp5,000 per jerry can or request it from a nearby prayer room that still uses groundwater. “Don’t let it be too long, because we need water every day, morning, noon, and night for washing, cooking, bathing, everything. At worst, I’ll buy it or ask at the prayer room,” she said. With a large household of two families totalling eight people, water is a critical daily necessity. Fortunately, she has a large water storage tank on the ground floor of her house. “The family is big, two families, eight people. That’s why there’s a big tank downstairs, it will definitely be filled first,” she explained, adding that a prolonged cut would halt all washing and bathing activities. PAM JAYA previously announced that clean water supply to seven sub-districts in West Jakarta could be disrupted or temporarily halted from Friday to Wednesday due to maintenance at the Hutan Kota Water Treatment Plant. The disruption is expected to impact around 55,272 customers. During the maintenance process, the water supply from the plant to PAM JAYA’s distribution network will be adjusted, potentially causing reduced water pressure or a temporary cessation of flow in several areas. The seven affected sub-districts are Cengkareng Barat, Cengkareng Timur, Kapuk Muara, Kamal Muara, Kamal, Pegadungan, and Tegal Alur. Customers in these areas are advised to anticipate the service disruption by storing sufficient water before the maintenance work begins.