he habit of residents who directly dump human waste into waterways has foiled the plan of the city administration to clean up the Krendang River, located near the recently cleared Kalijodo red-light district in North Jakarta.
The treatment of river water contaminated by human waste is very costly, therefore the city administration has canceled the plan to convert the river water into clean water, said Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.
Many residents are found to be directly draining their human waste into the rivers from their toilets.
PT Sinarmas Land, a developer of the Kalijodo Park being built on the land formerly used as a red-light district, has expressed his hesitation to be part of the water treatment project because of the heavy pollution of the river, said Ahok.
Therefore, through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) scheme, Sinarmas will just focus on finishing the construction of the integrated child-friendly public space, as well as on the green and open spaces near the land, he added.
The governor said the city administration would still find other companies that were ready to treat the water in the Krendeng River either through CSR or other schemes, like through a company's obligation to finance certain city projects.
Using the city budget for such a project will be last option for the city administration, he added.
Previously, the head of the City Water Management Agency, Teguh Hendarwan, told thejakartapost.com that Sampoerna Land may become involved in the Krendang River purification, but no agreement between the company and the administration had been reached. (bbn)
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