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View all search resultsPrivatization fears cast shadow over Jakarta’s clean water future
As the specter of privatization again rises over the city’s utility service, a civil coalition is advocating for Jakartans concerned that the planned restructuring of PAM Jaya from a city-owned to a limited liability company will ultimately lead to commodification of the basic resource and further cut off access for the urban poor.
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Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung (front) fills a cup with purified drinking water on Sept. 9, 2025, at the Pesanggrahan Water Treatment Plant (IPA) in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, as Banten Governor Andra Soni (left), Deputy Public Works Minister Diana Kusumastuti (second right) and PAM Jaya president director Arief Nasrudin look on. The Pesanggrahan plant has the capacity to supply drinking water at a rate of 750 liters per second via 75,000 new pipeline connections in 10 subdistricts in Jakarta, as well as fulfill water needs in South Tangerang, Banten. (Antara/Sulthony Hasanuddin)
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s concerns rise over the potential impacts of privatizing Jakarta’s clean water supply, hundreds of residents are pushing back against a plan to transform city-owned utility company PAM Jaya into a limited liability company.
On Wednesday, a coalition of civil groups that included the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) and the Jakarta Urban Poor Network (JRMK) staged a protest at City Council in Central Jakarta, demanding councillors to cancel drafting a bylaw that would allow private ownership of up to 49 percent shares in the utility company.
PAM Jaya is fully owned by the Jakarta administration at present.
“Water privatization is right before our eyes,” UPC coordinator Gugun Muhammad said during the rally.
He also alleged that the plan would benefit investors rather than residents, particularly those living on the city’s outskirts, and that most factions in the council already supported the proposal.
Read also: Jakarta’s coastal neighborhoods struggle as clean water access dwindles
Protesters fear the move will drive up water prices and further limit access to piped water for low-income communities.
