Recurrent flooding and mounds of garbage are common sights in most areas across the city, problems unresolved for decades which cause huge headaches for residents.

However, residents of the flood-prone area of Kampung Kapuk in West Jakarta understand that seemingly insurmountable problems are simply a bigger challenge to overcome.

And they have proved it, by transforming their swampy environs into catfish breeding farms.

Two years ago, Juhri, the community unit head, came up with the idea to breed catfish at the 15-hectare site that has been flooded to a depth of 1.5 meters for more than two decades.

"Catfish can survive anywhere, even in still, murky water. And they are easy to breed," Juhri said recently.

Along with 11 other residents, he started the enterprise.

It did not turn out too well on the first attempt.

Juhri recalled his catfish died as the ponds were too polluted with chemicals, and the flotsam and jetsam of garbage accumulating in the ponds just made the water quality worse.

"I replaced the nets with tarpaulins in order to help block the hazardous substances and trash flowing directly into the ponds and killing the fish," he said, explaining that he maintained the circulation of water at the ponds by using groundwater pumped in through big hoses from nearby wells.

The farmers feed their catfish pellets, sometimes mixed with shellfish, small fish and tofu grounds.

Their efforts paid off. Currently there are 42 catfish ponds, each measuring 2 meters by 1 meter, to cater for the catfish demand from Jakarta residents.

Husman, who has been running three ponds since last year, harvests at least 60 kilograms once every three months. The catfish ponds give him extra income to supplement his main job of selling fish at Muara Angke fish market in North Jakarta.

"I earn Rp 1.5 million (US$147) a month from selling sea fish. This catfish farming gives me an additional income of between Rp 200,000 and Rp 500,000 a month during harvest time," he said.

Like Husman, other residents who run the ponds, mostly workers in nearby factories and food vendors in the market with monthly incomes of between Rp 900,000 and Rp 1.5 million, also enjoy the benefits of the catfish business.

Each farmer has at least two or three ponds depending on the catfish size. They sort them so that the small catfish are not in the same pond with big ones, as the big ones usually end up eating the smaller fish.

"This place used to be a swamp in the 1980s," Husman said. In 1988, many factories started operations in the area without proper waste processing procedures and caused widespread environmental contamination.

"Fortunately now, at least something good has come out of it. We have the catfish ponds," he said. (nia)

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