Penjaringan residents hope to get clean water soon

Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Abdul Gafar turns on the tap above the sink. Only air oozes out.

Water had flowed freely since one week before Idul Fitri, which fell on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26, and the residents of community unit (RW) 17 of Penjaringan subdistrict in North Jakarta were blissfully happy.

But two days after the holiday, the taps went dry again.

Residents have been blaming tankers that bought water from the 21 public water taps around the area for the lack of water in their houses. Since June, the people living in RW 17 have been forced to buy water to fulfill their daily needs from carts that, ironically, get water from the tankers.

"As soon as the tankers resumed operation after Idul Fitri, we had no more water," said Gafar in dismay.

Gafar has to spend up to Rp 20,000 (US$2.35) a day for his family of six.

To voice their concern, about 100 residents rallied in front of the city tap water operator (PAM Jaya) office in Muara Karang, North Jakarta, on Friday.

"Public water tap operators are not allowed to sell water to tankers," said Gafar, who is a public figure in the community unit.

Maria Sidabutar, public relations officer of Palyja, a foreign company that is a partner of PAM Jaya in providing water in Penjaringan and other areas of the western part of Jakarta, acknowledged this.

"It is regulated under Bylaw No. 11/1993," she told The Jakarta Post on the phone.

She further explained that public water tap operators were allowed to sell water only to houses within a radius of 200 meters provided they were not connected to the pipe network.

"We are going to send letters to public water tap managers to remind them of this," said Maria. A similar letter will also be sent to residents early next week, she added.

Another result of the demonstration was that an investigative team will be set up by PAM Jaya and Palyja to look into possible violations.

"They promised to revoke the permits of violating public water tap operators," said Edi Saidi of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), who organized the rally.

Edi said that later that day, a field survey had been conducted and the permit for one public water tap was revoked.