Why is the Citarum River of Indonesia so polluted?

The river is heavily polluted by human activity; about five million people live in its basin. Textile factories in Bandung and Cimahi were major toxic waste contributors. More than 2,000 industries contaminate 5,020 sq miles of the river with lead, mercury, arsenic, and other toxins.

What is being done to clean the Citarum River?

Indonesia has launched a programme to clean the polluted waters of the Citarum River, located in West Java. Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, aims to make the river water safe to drink by 2025. Comment. Textile factories are some of the main polluters of the river.

Are people trying to clean up the Citarum River?

The project to clean one of the world’s filthiest rivers one year on. This time last year, Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo said water from the Citarum River should be made drinkable within seven years under a new cleanup project for the Java island river, often ranked among the world’s most polluted.

Why is the Citarum River notorious?

The Citarum River is notorious for its bad water quality and is often ranked among the most polluted rivers of the world (Cavelle, 2013). The pollution originates from a number of sources. This is not only an environmental concern, but is also a problem for those who live near it and use it for water.

Why is Indonesia water so polluted?

The sources of river water pollution include industrial waste, such as oil, gas, and mining, as well as domestic or household waste and livestock waste. The waste causes biota to die due to a lack of oxygen. “This means there is an improvement in water quality in Indonesia.”

What have the Indonesian government already done to try and clean up the Citarum river?

In 2018, the Indonesian government established the Citarum Harum – a seven-year river revitalisation program with the goal of making the Citarum’s water drinkable by 2025.

What is being done by the people of the community and the government to solve the problem in the Citarum River?

Recycling and education projects are helping local authorities and communities turn the Citarum, home to some of the world’s most polluted rivers, into a model of sustainable water management.

What have the Indonesian government already done to try and clean up the Citarum River?

How does the Citarum River affect the environment?

The Citarum River also contains high levels of mercury, manganese, chromium, cadmium, and lead. The contaminated river has devastating effects on the nearby environment. About 60\% of the residents living near the river have persistent skin infections. If left untreated, the skin infection could turn into skin cancer.

How was the Citarum River contaminated?

Contamination that occurs in the downstream of the Citarum River is caused by domestic waste, industrial waste disposal and, trading center activities, also due to agricultural waste, fisheries and, other activities in the upstream sector that also carried down to the downstream sector.

Does Indonesia have clean water?

About 18 million Indonesians lack safe water and 20 million lack access to improved sanitation facilities. They lack access to life’s most critical resource – water. Now more than ever access to safe water is critical to the health of families in Indonesia.

Why is the Citarum River important to Indonesia?

The Citarum River and its tributaries in Indonesia’s West Java are a vitally important water supply for both the city of Bandung and the greater Jakarta region, home to 25 million people. Its waters irrigate farms providing around 5\% of the nation’s rice and feed more than 2,000 factories on its banks.

What is Joko Widodo’s clean Citarum River Project?

West Java, Indonesia – Indonesian President Joko Widodo earlier this year started an ambitious programme of cleaning up an almost 300km stretch of Citarum River, labelled as one of the most polluted rivers in the world.

Is Jakarta’s ‘clean water’ sourced from the Java River?

About 27 million people rely on the river – the longest in West Java province – for irrigation, drinking water and other daily needs, with nearly 80 percent of the capital Jakarta’s supposedly ‘clean water’ sourced from the river. This is not the first time the government has come up with clean-up programme.

What is ADB doing to clean Indonesia’s Citarum River?

In 2008, ADB committed to provide Indonesia with a $500 million, multiyear loan to finance a wide-ranging cleanup and rehabilitation plan for the Citarum River basin. The money is being used to clean the Citarum River and the West Tarum Canal, which connects it to Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. The city gets 80\% of its water supply from the river.