Customers face continued water supply disruptions

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 02/13/2007 5:12 PM  |  Jakarta

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thames PAM Jaya (TPJ) water utility customers living in areas of North and East Jakarta have been advised that disruptions to the water supply, caused by floods in Jakarta, will continue for an indefinite period of time.

TPJ's main water installation of Buaran in Kalimalang, East Jakarta, was submerged for eight days from the time the flood started on Feb. 2.

Spokesperson Rhamses Simandjuntak said Monday that pumps and electrical appliances, installed about 11 meters below the ground, had been soaked in water up to 10 meters deep for eight days.

Muddy water also entered the installation's 54,000-cubic-meter reservoir, contaminating it.

""We cannot say exactly when the plant will function at full capacity. It will take some time to restore the plant,"" Rhamses said.

However, Rhamses said that following a meeting with city water utility PAM Jaya, TPJ was given a deadline to resume regular supply to customers by the end of the month.

""For the time being, customers can order clean water by calling our 24-hour hot line at 021-5772010,"" Rhamses said.

Rhamses said TPJ would deliver clean water in tanks to customers who made group orders.

""Customers should coordinate with their neighbors.""

Rhamses said the areas that were prone to water shortages were Kelapa Gading, Cakung, Cilincing, Koja, Tanjung Priok, Pademangan, and Kemayoran in North Jakarta, as well as Jatinegara, Duren Sawit, Ciracas, Makassar, Cipayung, Pasar Rebo, Kramat Jati, in East Jakarta.

Rhamses said that after the flooding, TPJ had deployed water tanks to the worst-affected areas. As of Monday, more than 1,000 tons of water had been distributed to flood victims.

The company's water installation in Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta, is also functioning at its normal capacity.

TPJ recommenced operations at Buaran on Sunday after days of work restoring the plant. Currently, the Buaran facility can only deliver 45 percent of its capacity of 5,000 liters of water per second.

Buaran installation manager Djoni Herianto said the pumps took some time to dry out. ""It takes three days to dry just one pump. It takes even longer if there are mechanical problems with the pump."" Four of the 11 pumps are back in working order.

The reservoir at the water installation that was contaminated with floodwater has dried up as well. ""We pumped out the contaminated water and filled it with clean water,"" TPJ production and distribution manager Mike Fordham said.

He said it took 24 hours to pump out all the contaminated water.

TPJ delivers tap water to 372,000 customers in north, central and east Jakarta. Meanwhile water operator PAM Lyonaise Jaya, serves 350,000 customers in the southern part of Jakarta.

Palyja spokesperson Meyritha said that after a week of flooding, which also affected the company's clean water supply, as of Monday more than 90 percent of Palyja's customers were being supplied with clean water.

""Our customers in some parts of South Jakarta might be experiencing low water pressure. That's because our Cilandak water installation shut down due to the flooding,"" she said.

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