Shocking: Heaps of Rubbish, Including Mattresses, Dumped into Cibanten River

Heaps of rubbish continue to pollute the Cibanten River in Serang City, Banten. Even though clean-up efforts have been made, piles of waste are still found at other points. Based on observations at the location on Thursday (11/6/2026), rubbish has accumulated in the Kasemen area, Serang City. The various types of accumulated waste include plastic waste, styrofoam, and wood, and even mattresses. The pile of rubbish emitted an unpleasant odour. Flies were also seen swarming around the waste site. Meanwhile, the water of the Cibanten River remained brown. In addition, many suckermouth catfish were visible in the river area. The Cibanten River Care Community, together with the government, had previously cleaned the Cibanten River. However, it turned out there were still piles of rubbish at a point indicating the river’s dirty condition. Chairman of the Banten River Care Community, Lulu Jamaludin, mentioned that the pile of rubbish was precisely located behind Harmoni 2 Kasemen Housing complex, stretching approximately 100 metres long. ‘We cleaned up at the Unyur point yesterday (Saturday), but it turns out there is a point that is worse,’ said Lulu. Lulu mentioned that his group frequently cleans rubbish from the Cibanten River. Yet the rubbish continues to pile up again. He hopes for firmness from the Serang City Government to impose sanctions on those who dump rubbish into the river. ‘Public awareness must be increased, and there must be sanctions from the government. If there are no sanctions, it’s useless,’ said Lulu. Meanwhile, Kasemen Sub-district Head, Sugiri, stated that the accumulated rubbish is household waste. The social condition is influenced by the receding river water. ‘The waste comes from residents who still frequently dump it in the river, and rubbish on the riverbanks falls into the river, and when the water recedes it does not get pushed along,’ said Sugiri. Sugiri mentioned that a rubbish clean-up would be held on Saturday (13/6). He will involve residents to clean the Cibanten River to jointly raise awareness about maintaining environmental cleanliness. ‘God willing, on Saturday, we will involve residents of the neighbourhood and community units, and village heads together with Cibanten River activists, Kang Lulu,’ he said.