Water operators deny poor service

JAKARTA: City water operators PT Thames Pam Jaya (TPJ) and PT Pam Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) made a defense statement before a court on Wednesday that they had provided good service, which had awarded them 57,000 new customers since 1998.

"Our clients have also conducted thorough analysis of water quality at more than 280 points of operations ... the results are good," lawyer Imelda Napitupulu, representing the water operators, told the Central Jakarta District Court.

The Jakarta Tap Water Consumers Community (Komparta) filed a Rp 1.8 billion (US$200,000) lawsuit in June 2003 on the operators' poor performance since 1998, as indicated in their lack of new infrastructure, facilities and efforts to reduce the rate of water leakage.

Komparta has also sued the operators for their 2003 water rate increase. A verdict of this case is expected on Jan. 15.

TPJ and Palyja have worked in cooperation with city-run water operator PAM Jaya since 1998.

Presiding judge Andriani Nurdin adjourned the trial until Jan. 28. -- JP