City losing water reservoirs

JAKARTA: The Public Works Ministry said that a large number of water reservoirs in the capital had begun to disappear or had been polluted.

The river and beach director at the ministry, Pitoyo Subandrio, said that at least 23 water reservoirs in the capital were in need of immediate assistance due to the implications of pollution.

He said that Jakarta now only had 181 water reservoirs.

“If the water reservoirs are polluted, the areas around them will suffer. Wells will dry up and the potential for flooding will increase,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.

Urban expert Nirwono Joga, who chaired a team tasked to draw a green map of the city, had earlier said that 68 percent of reservoirs in Jakarta had already been badly damaged and only 20 percent were still considered to be safe for consumption.