RIAN SEPTIANDI


An aerial view of the Buaran water treatment plant of PT Aetra on Jl. Raya Kalimalang No. 89, East Jakarta, on Tuesday, Jan 15, 2018. After raw water from the Malang River is processed at the Buaran water treatment facility, it is distributed to customers in Jakarta through a piping network.

It sounds anatomical: discussing the people's need for raw water when the political scene is heating up. However, our job is not simply a matter of politics.

Admittedly, E. coli-contaminated water may not be a mainstream issue. However, like air pollution, it remains an issue that we must listen and respond to.

This was more or less the purpose of this daily when, on Monday (2/4/2019) and Wednesday (2/6), we published coverage on contaminated raw water in the West Tarum Canal, or the Malang River, which is the source of clean water for Jakarta and parts of Bekasi.

The coverage reflects the irony that, amid the global competition in various fields, including competition in developing modern cities, Jakarta is still struggling with basic problems like providing clean water.

We first raised the issue that the water pollution level in the West Tarum Canal was far above the government threshold. To cite the data, the Jakarta Environment Agency tested two samples in 2018 and found that the concentration of E. coli bacteria were respectively 390,000 colony forming units (CFU) per 100 milliliters of water and 1 million CFU/100 ml. The Jakarta Environment Agency's standard is 1,000 CFU/100 ml.

This means that that the raw water quality is far beyond the government threshold. Authorities should be concerned about this, considering that the Malang River is the main source of the clean water supplied to Jakarta's residents. In 2018, private water treatment company PT Aetra managed about 532 million cubic meters (cbm) of the raw water supplied from the Malang River, while PT Palyja managed 193 million cbm. It was reported that Jakarta was still short of around 536 million cbm of raw water.

Because of the poor quality of raw water, the consumable water production has become more costly and prolonged.

Another thing that also needs serious attention is that the root of the problem remains the low public awareness of keeping the Malang River clean. Many riverbank residents still use the river to bathe, wash clothing and also as a toilet. This is enough to illustrate how domestic waste is polluting the Malang River.

These activities are part of the people's daily habits. Although awareness for change exists, it will take time. The problem is not so simple. The government assistance for constructing community bathing, washing and latrine (MCK) facilities has not reached the villages around the West Tarum Canal. Residents even claimed that they had requested MCK facilities time and again, but to no avail. They had even submitted their requests to legislative candidates, but had received no response.