'We have no water at all at home; why should We pay our bills'

'We have no water at all at home; why should We pay our bills'

The government has warned of the real possibility of an
escalation of water shortages throughout Java, including the
capital, in the coming months due to the severe and prolonged dry
season this year. It has been reported that some areas in West
Jakarta and North Jakarta are currently facing a water crisis.
Water supplies from the Jatiluhur dam in West Java to the city-
owned tap water company have declined to 60 percent of the normal
level. The Jakarta Post asked several people about the impending
crisis.

Wirdah, 27, is a housewife who resides in Srengseng, West
Jakarta with her husband and son:

It has been more than a week since I ran out of tap water!

Worse, my artesian well dried up long before the water supply
was apparently cut by the city-owned tap water company.

It is really terrible. This has been the worst water problem
since I have lived in this area. There is no water at all at our
home.

What is really bad is the insulting gossip by the people in
our unfriendly neighborhood, because I always have to beg for a
bucket of water from them each day.

We had to leave our home and go to my parents' house, which
still has water. We have been living with them for almost a week.
At least, I can take a bath and drink water here.

I am just so upset by the disrupted water supply, which just
gets worse every year. Why should I even pay my bill?

Agus, 35, is a tailor in Bogor. He lives there with his wife
and three children:

I think the water shortage this year is the worst I have ever
experienced. Everyone in my kampung has the same problem. It's a
very sad state of affairs for us and our country.

I have to beg almost every day for clean water from other
neighbors who still have water. Some of their wells are more than
15 meters deep so they still have water.

I don't have enough money to pay for a deeper well, so I have
to cope with the consequences.

My children's need for water is my priority, particularly for
bathing and drinking. For myself it's no problem to bathe or wash
clothes in the nearby river, despite the dirty water.

I have no choice, but I'm not alone. I don't have any idea
what we will do if this drought goes on much longer.

Bagas, 29, is a kindergarten teacher at a private school in
Salemba, Central Jakarta. He lives on Jl. Percetakan Negara,
Central Jakarta with his sisters:

Thank God, I don't have serious problems dealing with tap
water supply at home.

Water continues to flow from our well still. Normally, in the
morning, the water supply is not flowing very well.

I am pretty sure the rest of my neighborhood is also fine. As
far as I know, there are no major problems with the water supply.

Upon observing the situation here, I don't worry too much
about the water shortage, despite the fact that some places in
the city and nationwide have big problems as a result of the
longer dry season.

Leo Wahyudi S