Water supply temporarily suspended, Jatipulo residents prepare storage containers
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Residents of RW 0lar, Jatipulo Village, Palmerah District, West Jakarta, have begun making preparations to anticipate the temporary suspension of clean water supplies by PAM Jaya, which is scheduled to begin on Friday (5/6) night.
Several residents were seen managing limited water storage capacity by utilising various containers, such as mineral water gallons and buckets, as the restoration of water flow is predicted to take some time.
Yusuf (50), a resident of RT 09 RW 04, admitted he is forced to rely on empty mineral water gallons to store clean water because he does not have a water tank or tower at his home.
“We are preparing more gallons. Since we do not use a water tower, once the gallons are empty, we have to prepare more,” Yusuf told ANTARA in Jakarta on Thursday.
The man, who works daily as a manual labourer, has prepared six gallons to meet the needs of his five family members. However, as this amount is deemed insufficient, he plans to purchase two additional gallons.
“If it is not enough, I will buy more, perhaps two more gallons. For bathing, we sometimes have to use refilled water,” he added.
Despite having filled her water tank, Murtini admitted she remains worried that the supply will be insufficient, as her house is currently undergoing renovations following a fire, which requires significant amounts of water for concreting.
“My needs are still high because the house construction is not yet finished for the concreting process. For washing clothes, I have temporarily switched to laundry services. Primarily, it is for bathing and daily needs,” Murtini said.
She expressed hope that the duration of the water suspension would not be long, or at least that water tanker assistance would be deployed to meet the basic needs of residents.
Unlike other residents, Ruswati (50) chose to start collecting water only on Thursday night to avoid the risk of water becoming a breeding ground for mosquito larvae, as she only uses open containers such as buckets.
Addressing the potential water crisis in the area, the Head of RW 04 Jatipulo, Maulana Sani, stated that the neighbourhood management is ready to coordinate with PAM Jaya should residents face difficulties obtaining clean water.
“For water tankers, we usually submit a request to PAM, and then they arrive. As before, we will certainly call them if we need them,” Maulana said via text message.
Previously, PAM Jaya announced the temporary suspension of water supplies across 45 sub-districts in Jakarta, scheduled from Friday (5/6) at 23:00 WIB until Saturday (6/6) at 01:00 WIB.
The Technical Director of PAM Jaya, Akhmad Santika, explained that the suspension is due to maintenance work on an electrical substation owned by PT PLN (Persero), which serves as the energy source for the Pejompongan I Water Treatment Plant (IPA).
The maintenance was initiated after the PLN team detected a hissing sound at the SN45 substation during an inspection on 25 May.
“This was subsequently reported and maintenance must be carried out immediately to prevent more severe impacts that could stop the electricity supply to the Pejompongan I Water Treatment Plant,” Santika said on Wednesday (3/6).
Although the substation maintenance is only scheduled to last two hours, the process of restoring water distribution to customers will occur gradually, as it requires time to refill the empty pipe networks.