The Environment Ministry and the South Korean government officially launched on Friday the Ciliwung River restoration project.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place alongside the river near the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Central Jakarta.

Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya said during the ceremony that the pilot project aimed to restore 470 meters of the river stretching from the mosque to Pasar Baru in Central Jakarta.

'€œA water-treatment facility will also be built, which will be able to filter 500 cubic meters of water per day, and an environmental education center,'€ he said.

Balthasar said the restoration was the result of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the environment ministers of both countries in December 2012.

'€œIt has taken us one year to get to the groundbreaking due to administrative issues. We are grateful that we are starting it at the end of this year,'€ he said, adding that he hoped the project would be completed next year.

Balthasar said cleaning the Ciliwung River, especially the part flowing past the mosque, was essential as the mosque was an icon in the country. '€œIt is a strategic location as the mosque is visited by 12 million people, including state guests, every year,'€ he said.

Balthasar said he was seeking further cooperation with the South Korean government, especially on environmental issues.

'€œOur respective environment ministers routinely meet to discuss a wide range of issues regarding the environment,'€ he said.

He added that his ministry would be conducting a workshop in January to seek cooperation in other areas, as well as deciding which party in the partnership would operate the facilities over the long term.

South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Kim Young-Sun said the construction elements in the project would take 18 months.

'€œThe project includes the construction of a waste-water treatment facility, an environmental education center and ecological river,'€ he said.

The compound will also be equipped with a jogging track and a park.

Kim said he was convinced that the success of the Ciliwung River project would become a milestone for the restoration of other rivers in Indonesia.

Kim said he hoped the project would provide the impetus for further cooperation between the two countries.

The ambassador said his government was willing to cooperate with Indonesia by sharing its experience, expertise and technological know-how in restoring and managing rivers.

South Korea has 20 years of experience in restoring and maintaining the country'€™s rivers, particularly the Han River in Seoul.

'€œThis project is essential as it will not only provide a clean and fresh area but also an educational center that will help raise residents'€™ awareness of the importance of clean water and a healthy environment,'€ he said.

South Korea'€™s Environment Ministry and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) will disburse US$2 million and $5 million in consecutive grants to finance the Ciliwung River project, while Indonesia'€™s Environment Ministry will contribute around Rp 10 billion ($815,594).

The central government and the Jakarta administration are also intensifying restoration projects on other sections of the Ciliwung River and 12 other rivers in the capital city.

Earlier this month, the city administration began its massive World Bank-funded dredging project.

The city is also currently building a number of low-cost apartments to relocate thousands of squatters who live on the riverbanks.

'€” JP/Corry Elyda

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