Water shortages in Jakarta to be over soon

Water shortages in Jakarta to be over soon

JAKARTA(JP): After suffering from water shortages for one
week, tap water customers in West and South Jakarta will get more
water starting on Tuesday as the Tangerang tap water company
agreed on Monday to restore normal water supplies to Jakarta.

Tangerang regency-owned water company PAM Tangerang agreed to
restore water supplies to Jakarta's joint venture water company
PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) following a meeting between
officials of the Tangerang and Jakarta administrations.

The head of PAM Tangerang's community service section, Iman
Fachri, said his company was still demanding an increase in rates
for the water it supplies to Palyja.

"We agreed to normalize the water supply. In the meantime, we
are looking for another meeting with the Palyja director to
discuss our demand," Iman told The Jakarta Post.

PAM Tangerang reduced its usual supply to Palyja from 2,200
liters per second to 1,500 liters per second, following a
prolonged dispute over water rates.

PAM Tangerang demanded a rate increase of 16.8 percent, up
from the current price of Rp 915 per cubic meter, but Palyja
simply refused to pay, saying the demand was excessive given the
imposition of a 24 percent increase last year.

Iman said the decision to restore normal water supplies to
Palyja was taken following an order from Tangerang Regent Agus
Djunara.

"Our regent believes the public needs to be served, so we have
put aside the disagreement for a while to supply the water needed
by the public.

"Jakartans are also human like us here, they need water for
their daily lives," Iman said.

He said that right after the meeting, the water supply
returned to normal.

Separately, Palyja spokeswoman Maria Sidabutar also confirmed
the water supplies had returned to normal, but she warned that it
would take some time to distribute the water to end customers.

"It will gradually return to normal. The process here needs
some adjustment. Maybe later in the afternoon or on Tuesday, some
areas will enjoy the return of a normal water supply," Maria
said.

Palyja, a joint venture between city-owned water company PAM
Jaya and French-based Lyonaise des Eaux, said earlier that the
decrease in water supplies from Tangerang had affected 117,000
customers -- out of its total customer base of 275,000 -- mainly
in West and South Jakarta.

Maria, however, declined to comment on PAM Tangerang's demand
for a rate increase.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso rejected the demand by
PAM Tangerang to increase the water rate, contending the firm
increased the rate last year.

"The company should not make Jakarta customers bear its costs.
We will refuse this," Sutiyoso said on Monday at the City Council
building.

He said the administration had assigned the city's assistant
for developmental affairs, Ongky Sukasah, to discuss the dispute
with the Tangerang regency administration.

Meanwhile, a number of customers in West Jakarta and South
Jakarta complained that they were still suffering water
shortages.

Saragih, a resident of Jl. Puspa, East Cengkareng, West
Jakarta, said he and his neighbors had suffered shortages for
almost a week.

"We get water only in the night, from the morning until dusk
there is no water at all," Saragih said.

And he said there were no longer water sellers in the area,
having left when Palyja arrived two years ago.

He said the situation was made worse because residents could
not use water from artesian wells because the water was salty.
(jun/emf)