Residents complain of murky water

TANGERANG: Residents of Karawaci, Tangerang, complained on Friday that the water from the regency's tap water company, Tirta Kerta Raharja, was murky and not fit for consumption.

Edy Suyatno, 48, was quoted by Antara as saying that during the first week of Ramadhan the water distributed by the company was murky and brownish in color.

He said residents had complained to the tap water company, but their complaints were not taken seriously.

Edy complained that the company raised its rates in January, but failed to improve the quality of its water.

Tirta Kerta Raharja spokesman Anda Suhanda said the company had informed customers, particularly those in the Karawaci area, that their water might be murky while maintenance work was carried out on the water pipes.

"We are sorry that the water is murky, but many of the water pipes are relatively old and contain mud. We are currently washing out the pipes and are in the process of replacing them with new pipes," he said. --JP