Jakartans encouraged to 'test the water'

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 03/23/2007 4:25 PM  |  Jakarta

Adianto P. Simamora and Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Bogor

Ever wondered what is lurking in your backyard well?

The Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) has invited residents to get their water tested in city-owned laboratories.

""The new service is offered in response to Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo's recent suggestion for people to test their water before consuming it,"" Hotman Silaen, the head of the agency's information division, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Residents who have a letter from their neighborhood unit chief confirming they live in the area and are concerned about the water quality can have their water tested for free at any of the laboratories run by the agency or city water company PAM Jaya.

The agency is responsible for monitoring the quality of groundwater supplies across the capital.

It checks the temperature, acidity (pH), oxygen content, turbidity and biological content of the water.

Groundwater is the main source of drinking water for almost half of Jakartans.

However, about 80 percent of the city's groundwater has been contaminated by pathogenic disease-causing bacteria such as E-coli.

Hotman said public awareness of water issues remained low despite regular campaigns.

To commemorate World Water Day on March 22, officials and activists gathered at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, distributing roses and brochures to motorists.

Agency officials called on residents and building operators to construct percolation pits to harvest rainwater.

Officials from the Public Works Ministry were also there, distributing brochures discouraging people from throwing rubbish in the city's waterways.

The Jakarta administration blames neighboring upstream cities for the poor quality of raw water in the capital.

West Java Governor Dani Setiawan said Thursday the Jakarta administration should thank the province for its constant water supply.

""Jakarta always accuses West Java of causing flooding in the capital, but ignores the fact that we are also its main supplier of water,"" he said on the sidelines of a World Water Day event in Bogor.

The governor called on the West Java people to protect water resources and the environment to ""prove Jakarta wrong"".

During the event, the administration planted 1,000 seedlings and released 50,000 fish into the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers.

Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto acknowledged the city's raw water supplies, including from Citarum Dam, were unstable.

Citarum Dam is one of the main sources of raw water for the capital's piped water company.

""We are now preparing to carry out a cloud-seeding program to replenish the dam and avoid further water shortages,"" the minister said Thursday as quoted by Antara.

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