TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

City shares blame with previous administration for controversial smelly river: Anies

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has said the Sentiong River, which passes through the area near the athletes village in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, has been polluted and smelly for years.

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, July 24, 2018 Published on Jul. 24, 2018 Published on 2018-07-24T16:03:32+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
City workers clean the Sentiong River under a giant nylon net in Central Jakarta on July 21. The city administration covered the river in an attempt to ward off the smell ahead of the 18th Asian Games in August. City workers clean the Sentiong River under a giant nylon net in Central Jakarta on July 21. The city administration covered the river in an attempt to ward off the smell ahead of the 18th Asian Games in August. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)

J

akarta Governor Anies Baswedan has said the Sentiong River, popularly called Kali Item (black river), which passes through the area near the athletes village in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, has been polluted and smelly for years.

Anies has been under fire for instructing that the river be covered with a giant black nylon net prior to the 18th Asian Games next month.

The governor blamed the previous administration for not cleaning up the river, arguing that if significant measures had been taken long ago the river would not be as smelly.

“The problem didn’t emerge overnight. It’s been severely polluted for ages. We [the current city administration] only inherited the problem,” Anies said as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com on Tuesday.

The city administration recently covered the river with the black net, which according to Anies was aimed at “hiding the awful view and reducing the water evaporation that causes such an unpleasant smell”.

The city’s decision has sparked public debate and attracted attention from foreign media.

Anies, however, said the international media outlets only followed local media’s news coverage.

“Of course [the international media] put their attention on Kali Item too. They’re taking the news from our media,” he said.

He suggested that local media report less negative news about the city’s preparations to greet the Asian Games. “Let’s work together and agree on which side [of the news] we want to show to the world,” he said. (vla)

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.