Water operator PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja), which serves customers in the western area of Jakarta, launched on Tuesday its latest water treatment technology and promised more water, saying the additional capacity could cover 150,000 residents in its service area.

The technology '€” the moving bed bio-film reactor (MBBR) '€” was said to be the first applied in Southeast Asia.

Palyja president director Jacques Manem pointed out that the technology, which was developed by Degremont Indonesia, would enable the operator to process polluted water from the West Flood Canal (KBB) into raw water.

'€œThe MBBR uses small mediums called '€˜meteors'€™ in pre-water treatment so we can process water from the West Flood Canal, which is heavily polluted by domestic and industrial waste. The process will split pollutants such as ammoniac so they are ready to be further processed into drinking water,'€ he said during the launch in Karet Tengsin, Central Jakarta.

According to Manem, the canal is able to provide 550 liters per second of water. The water operator invested Rp 22 billion (US$1.66 million) for the technology. Manem said the additional water would contribute to efforts to fulfil the target of providing safe water for 95 percent of Jakarta'€™s residents by 2020. To meet such a target, the operator needs 12,000 liters per second of raw water, whereas now 8,500 liters per second from existing water resources '€” mostly from outside Jakarta '€” are available.

Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama, who led the ceremony, appreciated the water operator'€™s commitment to meet the target, despite an ongoing legal dispute that placed its water business in limbo.

'€œI appreciate [Palyja'€™s] effort to provide more raw water. I remember I requested this a few years ago during our first meeting, which means [the company] did not take my request for granted,'€ he said in his speech.

Despite Ahok'€™s previously firm stance on taking over Palyja, the governor ensured that the city administration would give its full support to investment in the water sector.

'€œWe understand that concessions have an expiry date and that businessmen have their own calculations. However, the current legal dispute initiated by the NGOs has held residents hostage. How long will we fight against each other? There'€™s no need to appeal. This is a business-to-business matter,'€ Ahok said, adding that he understood that investors needed a guarantee.

'€œPalyja should not be worried about investing. Even if the city aims to procure [the company in the future] we will buy it in accordance with an appraisal,'€ he said.

Judges at the Central Jakarta District Court have ruled in favor of the Coalition of Jakarta Residents Opposing Water Privatization (KMMSAJ), ordering an annulment of a cooperation struck between city owned PAM Jaya and the two private water operators that began in 1997 and was set to expire in 2023.

Palyja has filed an appeal to challenge the ruling.

'€œMoney is never a problem for the city administration. We will discuss [the 2015] revised city budget draft in June. By removing dubious projects from the draft, I believe I can save billions of rupiah [which can be reallocated for this purpose],'€ he said.

Ahok also used the opportunity to reprimand Palyja. '€œJakarta does not belong to your ancestors. Don'€™t leave your construction jobs on the sidewalks unfinished and please do it at night so it won'€™t affect traffic. No more excuses,'€ he said.

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