Hope remains for restoration of ‘world’s dirtiest’ river

Ayu Wulandari never thought that a trekking trip to Citarum’s river banks would be like an emotional roller-coaster ride.

Joining Geo Trek, a Bandung-based trekking company, she was taken to a clean area in Cisanti, a dirty area in Curug Jompong and, close by, another clean area in Sangiang Poek. “I was amazed to find that Citarum River still had pristine areas,” she said.

As she reached the dirty area in Curug Jompong, however, she saw garbage floating on the river and stepped onto it. When she did not sink to the riverbed, she cried.

Her tears may represent how the river feels as it has been polluted by both industrial and household waste, while deforestation in the upstream area.

“I was very relieved to be able to leave that dirty area. I felt happier when I reached the clean area. It would be nice to see Citarum return to a healthy state again,” Ayu said.

With Citarum in critical condition, the government recently launched Integrated Citarum: Water Resources Management Investment Program, or the Citarum Roadmap for short: a 15-year plan to bring Citarum River back to its heyday. The roadmap encompasses 80 activities, from waterways management and environmental preservation to disaster mitigation and community empowerment.

Hasanuddin, head of Citarum Management (the body that will oversee and coordinate the clean-up), is optimistic this roadmap will have a better outcome compared to previous attempts because it involves various stakeholders, from the ministries and institutions to communities and private companies.

For example, he said, the Forestry Ministry and Agricultural Ministry will work together to increase the infiltration of water into the soil. The Environment Ministry will handle the waste problem, while Citarum Management will work on dredging the river and other physical constructions.

“We have made programs for each ministry and institution. If people are interested in participating, they can contact the National Planning Development Board (Bappenas). We hope the communities will play a bigger role in the roadmap before we start physical construction,” he said.

The roadmap requires Rp 35 trillion (US$4.095 billion), and will be funded by the state budget, administrative budgets, as well as grants and loans. In 2008, the Asian Development Bank provided a US$500 million loan to help clean the river.

Hasanuddin said that the loan was important because with such a great scope of work, the government needs to have international experts and technical assistance.

Stretching approximately 300 kilometers, Citarum River has millions of people depending upon it. It supplies water for three power plants that provide electricity for Java and Bali. The river also provides water for farmers in West Java and raw water for Jakartans.

Crossing the borders of the provinces of Jakarta and West Java, Citarum River basin covers 12,000 square kilometers and spans 13 administrative regions.

The Central Statistics Agency said that the number of people living along the river’s banks was 15,303,758 in 2009, half of whom lived in urban areas.

As several international media have labeled Citarum River “the world’s dirtiest river”, Hasanuddin tries to handle the issue lightly.

“Anybody can say anything about Citarum River. But I’d like to know what they have done to help clean it,” he said.