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Batam residents stage protest over water distribution woes
A Batam city councilman has warned that prolonged protests could harm investment in the area.
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Illustration of a water tap. (Shutterstock/-)
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protest staged on Wednesday by residents of the Putra Jaya Housing Complex in Tanjung Uncang subdistrict, Batam, Riau Islands, over water distribution must be addressed or it will disrupt investment in the city, a Batam city councilor has said.
Batam City Council member Tumbur Hutasoit said water company PT Air Batam Hilir (ABHi) had failed to act quickly enough to address water distribution problems in the housing complex, as residents had been complaining about weak water flow for almost 10 years.
“The residents' protest even turned violent, which could disturb the investment climate in Batam,” Tumbur said on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the protestors blockaded several roads leading to shipyard facilities and prevented local workers from commuting to their workplaces.
Tumbur said the Batam City Council had repeatedly raised the issue of weak water flow during meetings with the previous company responsible for water distribution, PT Adhya Tirta Batam (PT ATB); the current company, PT ABHi; and even the Batam Indonesia Free Trade Zone Authority (BP Batam). But, he said, there had been no improvements.
“Water is a basic human need. It’s nonnegotiable,” Tumbur said.
He added that BP Batam and PT ATB did not have proper plans when building water pipes in Tanjung Uncang subdistrict, resulting in insufficient capacity for the number of residents and industries in the area.
He also said water bills in Batam were too expensive, particularly as the water company PT ABHi was not a private entity, being managed by BP Batam, a central government body.
Responding to the protests, PT ABHi president director Mujiaman Sukirno said the company had started installing mini booster pumps to increase the water flow to houses in the Putra Jaya Housing Complex.
“The installation [of the booster pumps] should be finished by next Tuesday,” Mujiaman said on Wednesday. (ami)
