Private sector to manage rivers

JAKARTA: The city administration is considering handing over the management of rivers to the private sector in an effort to improve the condition of rivers.

City Development Planning Board (Bappeda) chairman Ritola Tasmaya said the matter was being seriously discussed by officials and had the approval of Vice Governor Fauzi Bowo and the Public Works Office.

"If the proposal is approved, we will hire private companies to manage the rivers in the city in the hope that the condition of rivers will improve," Ritola said on Tuesday.

The city's rivers are currently managed by the Public Works Office and are in a bad state, with the majority being used to dump industrial and domestic waste. --JP