Water consumers to get complaint center
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Responding to public complaints about the quality of tap water in the capital, the Indonesian Consumers Organization (YLKI) has set up a center for dissatisfied water utility companies.
YLKI executive secretary Husna Gustiana Zahir said that tap water consumers could submit complaints by telephone, fax or e- mail.
"The complaints received from residents will be used to put pressure on the water operators to improve their services," Husna said in a release on Sunday.
She said the complaints could be submitted to the YLKI offices on Jl. Pancoran Barat VII No. 1, Duren Tiga, South Jakarta 12760, at 021-79191255, 021-7971378, 021-7981858 or by fax to 021- 7981038, or by e-mail to konsumen@rad.net.id.
She said that the YLKI would forward the complaints to the two water utilities, PT Thames PAM Jaya (TPJ) and PT PAM Lyonaisse Jaya (Palyja).
Although water charges are automatically increased every six month, with the last increase being earlier this year, many say the utilities have not improved their services. Complaints about turbid water and irregular supply are commonplace.
The two water companies have asked the city administration to raise water charge by as much as 25 percent on Jan. 1. Governor Sutiyoso said on Monday that he would announce the new water rates sometime this week.
"I will announce the new tariffs before the first of January," said Sutiyoso without specifying the likely sizes of the increases.
Sutiyoso said last week that he would delay the tariff hikes until the two utilities reported progress in improving their services.
TPJ and Palyja have proposed water rate hikes of between 23 percent and 25 percent starting in January. If the proposal is agreed, it will be the third increase since the City Council issued a bylaw authorizing the Jakarta governor to automatically increase charges every six months up to 2007.
Currently, the lowest charge, applicable to poor households, is Rp 900 (9 cents US dollar) per cubic meter, while the highest charge, which is applicable to well-off households and business concerns, is Rp 12,150 per cubic meter.
Palyja's president director Barnard Lafrogne said that with a rate increase of 25 percent, his company would be able to invest some Rp 150 billion (US$15 million) next year.
A similar statement was made by TPJ communications director Rhamses Simanjuntak, who said his company invested Rp 65 billion this year and planned to invest Rp 90 billion in 2006 and Rp 150 billion in 2007.
"The water charges are the only revenue our company receives. Therefore, if there are no rate increases, we will have to cut our investment," he added.
Palyja, a subsidiary of France's ONDEO (formerly Lyonaisse des Eaux) serves customers in western Jakarta, while TPJ, a subsidiary of Britain's Thames Water International, supplies water to the east of the city.