Penjaringan residents hope to get clean water soon
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conducted and the permit for one public water tap was revoked.