Dozens of long water hoses protruded from the windows of a four-story apartment building in Penjaringan, North Jakarta.

The hoses stuck out like giant pieces of spaghetti, chaneling clean water from a gronteng, a deep pool beneath a small hut, to the units of the low-cost Mawar and Melati apartments.

Every 20- to 30-meter hose was connected to small jet pumps inside the little hut.

Supriyanto, who lives on the fourth floor of Mawar Apartment, said residents started to connect hoses to jet pumps around two years ago.

Water web:: A man walks under hoses at Mawar Apartment in Penjaringan, North Jakarta. Residents living in the apartment’s upper floors use jet pumps and hoses to channel water to their apartment units. (JP/Hasyim Widhiarto)

At the time, they were concerned about reliability of the water supply from city tap water operator PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja).

"The apartment's water jet pumps absorb water from the nearest Palyja hydrant, which is located 500 meters away from the apartment," he said.

"Most of the time water pressure is very low and can't help the machines push water to the highest units."

Supriyanto, who has lived in the apartment since 1997, said the installation was meant to be temporary.

"Residents used to bring their jet pumps and hoses after filling up jerricans with water.

"Later, almost all residents used the installation because water supply from Palyja was unpredictable," the father of two said,

He said the installation could work almost 24 hours a day during the dry season. Most residents in Mawar and Melati apartments work as seasonal workers.

They pay Rp 143,000 per month to rent an apartment, plus approximately Rp 50,000 for electricity and Rp 30,000 for water.

However, as the water supply is repeatedly disrupted, residents in apartments on the top floors had to dig deep to provide extra cash to install the spaghetti-like hose system.

Yuni, another resident, said she had no money to buy a jet pump and a hose.

"My husband doesn't work and we have not saved enough money for the installation," said the mother of nine.

"At the moment, it costs at Rp 350,000 to buy a jet pump and Rp 100,000 to by a 20-meter hose."

Yuni runs a small grocery store at her apartment block. She said she had no choice but to rely on the existing water installation.

"When the water flows at midnight, I have to make sure that my water tank is full."

Yuni, who has been living in the apartment for seven years, said she sometimes asked to share water with her nearest neighbor.

"I am ashamed, but what else I can do?" she said. (hwa)

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