The Bekasi River in West Java is so badly polluted the water cannot be processed for drinking water anymore, according to the city administration.

"The Bekasi River has been polluted for a long time,” Bekasi Environment Agency head Jumhana Luthfi told kompas.com. “In 2017 I said that this river was no longer safe for drinking-water processing. I have told Bekasi regional drinking water company [PDAM] this.” Bekasi PDAM relies on the river for raw water supply.

The agency has also reported the polluted river to the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry and the ministry's Ciliwung-Cisadane Flood Control Office, he added.

The point on the Bekasi River at Jl. M Hasibuan has to be dredged to reduce sediment and clean the river, Jumhana said. Factories and their industrial waste will be supervised by the agency divers. “Frogmen will monitor the river,” Jumhana said. “We will check on the waste from all factories.”

On Monday, Bekasi River was coated in foam and produced a foul smell. The fish in the river were dead as well, according to Tengku Imam Qobul, a member of the Ciliwung-Cisadane Water Resources Management Coordination Team.  (stu)