Water quality poor in Denpasar rivers

Ni Komang Erviani ,  Contributor ,  Denpasar   |  Mon, 09/08/2008 10:51 AM  |  Bali

The Bali Environment Education Center (PPLH), an NGO specializing in environmental education, has declared that the water in the rivers around Denpasar is very poor quality.

PPLH director Catur Yudha Haryani said Saturday that based on the result of a survey using a bio-indicator -- a method measuring how long fish can live in an eco-system -- the quality of river water in Denpasar is now classified in the D category.

"Below the D category, river water is declared to be not suitable for consumption," Catur said, adding that water in category D can only be used for mining purposes, paddy fields and plantations.

Water below category D is marked by the absence of certain bio-organisms, which normally live in the river. For example dragon flies cannot live in contaminated water.

"We did not find any dragon flies in a number of rivers in Denpasar. It shows the water is polluted," Catur said, mentioning two major polluted rivers -- the Badung and the Mati.

The result of the survey also shows that the quality of water in the rivers in the Denpasar area has been deteriorating annually over the last 10 years, he said.

Catur explained the deterioration in water quality has been caused by non-eco-friendly activities by local communities, including dumping garbage and other rubbish into rivers and also by using rivers to defecate.

These conditions are worsened by the many companies, which discharge dangerous industrial waste directly into rivers.

"In Denpasar alone there are many T-shirt printing businesses which discharge waste containing chemical substances into rivers," Catur said.

Catur emphasized that polluted water is dangerous to drink as it contains unsafe substances, including the E-coli bacteria.

"Just imagine, if the polluted water can cause corrosion on steel pipes, what happens to us if we consume it?" Catur asked.

Head of Denpasar Environment Office Ketut Suandi shared Catur's concerns about the poor quality of river water in the Denpasar area.

"Part of this is caused by bad habits among local residents who throw away garbage and other waste directly into rivers," he said.

Suandi said that in order to help change these bad habits his office had launched intensive awareness campaigns through radio, television and printed media. A similar campaign has also been conducted at schools, he said.

"Our objective is to help raise awareness among the residents not to throw garbage and other wastes directly into the rivers," he said.

However, Suandi admitted such a campaign will not change community behavior instantly.

"It'll take time," he said.

Aside from the promotional campaign, Suandi said that his office was also tackling poor environmental practices by textile printing firms, which cause a lot of pollution.

"We have taken stern action against two company owners," he said, adding that the most important thing here is the participation and support of the community as the government cannot do this alone.

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