Key but polluted Indonesian river set for cleanup

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Stretching more than 270 kilometers through West Java, Indonesia, the Citarum is one of the longest rivers in Java Island. It acts as a source of life for more than 30 million people. Yet, a recent study named this important river one of the dirtiest in the world.

Thick liquid waste smears the surface of the river, turning once clear waters into a mix of blue, red and green. Tons of plastic bottles, food packaging and clothing items can be seen floating on the waterway.

Deni Riswandani has been working bit by bit to clean the river with his group called the Elingan Organization. Each week, the group of 10 to 15 people take the journey out to the Citarum River and pick up any waste they can get their hands on. Riswandani said it is an attempt to take small steps to create big changes.

“There are five different kinds of chemical waste flowing through this river including mercury and arsenic," he said. "Our community cannot do anything about that because that will be under the government’s hands. But we have tried to block the waste from entering the river using concrete materials.”

The Citarum River was named by a recent study as one of the dirtiest in the world. /CGTN Photo

The Indonesian government has now begun to tackle the pollution. A new program will be launched next month to clean up the river. As the main source of water for millions of residents living by the banks, the program aims to educate residents to care for their surrounding environment by teaching them not to dump their waste into the river.

Another major change would be creating strict laws against industries located by the river.

Research shows there are more than 400 industries, mostly textile, that dump their toxic waste into the waters. As a result, the industrial waste makes it unhygienic for the residents to use the water for their daily cooking, bathing and laundry.

The Citarum River is not only important to those living in West Java as it connects directly to Jakarta, and provides almost 80 percent of the capital's water supply. It is also a source of a water power plant that produces electric power to the islands of Java and Bali.

The Citarum River acts as a source of life for more than 30 million people. /CGTN Photo

“If we don’t start the movement and show the people that it is indeed crucial to conserve this river, then who will?” said Riswandani.

The Indonesian government said one of the biggest challenges will be to change residents’ habits.

Safri Burhanuddin from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Resources will lead the new project of the river cleanup. He said the project needs to be a collaborative effort between the local communities, government and industries.

“The only way we can stop industries from throwing waste into the river is by creating strict laws against it. As for the residents living by the river, we have to change their mindset to make them realize that protecting their surroundings is important,” said Burhanuddin.

President Joko Widodo has urged stakeholders and industry officials to work as a team to finally transform this river, as a measure to help improve the lives of millions that depend on the Citarum as their main source of water.