Thousands lack water monthly

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Around 9,000 customers file complaints every month with PT Thames PAM Jaya (TPJ) and PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja), the two international partners of the city tap water utility PD PAM Jaya.

PT Palyja spokeswoman Maria Sidabutar told the press on Thursday that the number of the complaints had dramatically increased during the dry season because of disruptions in the supply of raw water to the company.

"We usually get around 100 phone calls from complaining customers every day, or around 3,000 calls per month. But the number of calls in the dry season can be 1,200 per day," she said during a hearing with city councillors from Commission D for development affairs and Commission C for finance.

Meanwhile, TPJ spokesman Rhamses Simanjuntak told The Jakarta Post that the company received some 6,000 complaints by phone every month.

Most of the complaints are about disruptions to the tap water supply to customers' homes. Rhamses said that the number of complaints had doubled from last year.

However, he denied that the complaints were because of worsening service from the company.

"It's probably because we now have a better recording system for customer complaints," he said.

The two international firms' admissions confirmed a statement made earlier by the chairman of the Jakarta Water Regulatory Body, Achmad Lanti, who said that some 40,000 customers had complained over water supply disruptions.

Lanti said that if both water operators could optimally supply the customers, they could increase their revenue to Rp 740 billion (US$87 million) in four years. He also urged both companies to improve services to existing customers.

Maria admitted that Palyja has been unable to fully satisfy all its customers due to numerous difficulties including the condition of old water pipes that ruptured easily. Leakage accounted for 45 percent of the water the company pumped out.

PD PAM Jaya has proposed for a 30 percent increase in tap water rates starting Jan. 1 to pay its debts to the two international firms. The proposal was submitted to the City Council on Monday.

Councillors have called on the administration to wait for the results of an audit being jointly conducted by London-based independent auditors, Stone Webster, and the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP).

Both TPJ and Palyja have reported a Rp 990 billion shortfall in the payments they have received from PD PAM Jaya. However, PD PAM Jaya claims it only owes them Rp 600 billion.

TPJ, a subsidiary of Britain's Thames Water International, supplies customers in the eastern part of Jakarta while Palyja, a subsidiary of France's ONDEO (formerly Lyonnaise des Eaux), serves customers in the western part of the city.

Together, the two companies, which started operating here in 1998, supply water to about 650,000 customers.

As of September this year, Palyja has invested Rp 670 billion in Jakarta. The money has been used for such things as repairing some 1,287 kilometers of water pipes, or some 31 percent of its total 4,000-kilometer network.

Maria said that Palyja and PD PAM Jaya have agreed to invest some Rp 800 billion over the next five years to expand their networks and improve the existing ones.