Empty jerry cans swayed and drummed, it seemed like they were very cheerful because they knew water would fill their bodies. Different story for the owner, it is the most hated sound, a sign that there is no water at home. Every day Muara Angke residents must push carts filled with jerry cans to the PAM JAYA Water Kiosk. PAM JAYA is a regional government-owned enterprise of the province of Jakarta which provides clean water services for all Jakarta residents.
After filling in the jerry cans, they push the cart and take them home to be able to bathe, cook, and wash. That’s just the labor, not including the money needed to buy it. They must spend Rp400 for a 20-litre jerry can. Compare with PAM JAYA tariffs that flow directly with the “Simple House” category, which is only Rp5,500 for 1000 litres of water. If calculated, Muara Angke residents must spend Rp20 for each litre from water kiosk, while if directly through the pipe only cost Rp5.5 per litre. For one of the basic needs alone they must pay four times more expensive, not to mention other living expenses. Very unfortunate.
Although expensive, at least PAM JAYA’s water kiosk is present as an alternative to groundwater, which was widely used by residents.
“The water is a bit yellowish, it’s different.” said by Endah (65), one of the first residents of Muara Angke that has tasted the sweet and sour of life there, including the taste of the water.
Muara Angke’s location on the coast means it’s frequently affected by tidal flooding, which contaminates groundwater with seawater. “When it floods, the groundwater becomes quite salty,” Endah said.
To address the problem of using groundwater that’s unfit for consumption and government has attempted to provide water kiosks, as mentioned illegal, the earlier. However, this hasn’t solved the problem because the distribution isn’t direct piped to homes and the price is higher.
Head of RT 2 Ahmad Rosidin, a former ship foreman as well as Head of Rukun Tetangga (Neighborhood Association) 2, said that the water kiosk was an aid to overcome residents dependence on dirty groundwater. “There are 7 water kiosks provided by the government in Rukun Warga (Community Association) 22.” him said.
Ahmad explained one of the reasons PAM JAYA could not fully pipeline due to land disputes with the government. Even so, of the 140 family living in RT 2, at least there are already 10 who get the direct pipeline. Residents expect an increase in the quota for direct piping to their homes.
This makes residents must continue to look for ways to be able to get the basic needs of every living being. On February 22, 2022, the people of RW 22 held a demonstration in front of Jakarta City Hall. Residents lifted dozens of blue jerry cans up, a symbol of frustration. “Mr. Anies, we are thristy” became the slogan that united them in the action. Anies Baswedan was the governor of Jakarta at that time.
In the centre of the action, stood a tall thin figure. A long-sleeved shirt pulled up to the sleeves, black pants, and a black skullcap. A white mask covered his face during the pandemic. His name is Bani Sadar, head of RW 22. He said Muara Angke residents who have lived there since 1980 have never felt good access to clean water.
“Water is a basic need for the Indonesian people. It is ironic that Jakarta is a province that is highly regarded (as the nation’s capital) by other provinces.” Bani said.
Together with other RW officials, they tried to build a cheap and practical alternative to clean water for their residents. They were fortunate to receive a seawater desalination facility from the Ministry of Social Affairs in 2023. It consists of three stages, namely a filter containing activated carbon,followed by an ozone generator, and the last is reverse osmosis machine. This state-of-the-art desalination facility can convert seawater into potable water with a capacity of 2000 litres per day.
This good opportunity is utilized by the RW to meet the water needs of Mandi, Cuci, Kakus (MCK) or bathing, washing, and latrines that are quite much needed. Utilizing the first two stages for produces a lot of water quickly but is also still clean enough for MCK. The facility requires a good source of water from a well, after the old well from the Ministry of Social Affairs was too salty even though it has a depth of up to 80 meters. A new infiltration well was eventually dug three meters deep and found the water to be quite clean. They modified the filter and added new 10,000 litres water tank so more desalinated water can be stored to meet all the needs of the residents.
To prove the cleanliness of the desalinated water, we brought it to PERUMDAM Tirta Kerta Raharja’s water laboratory in Cikokol, Tangerang Kota, Banten. We compared groundwater and desalinated water samples. The most prominent thing is the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) which previously had a score of 1963 dropped dramatically to 315, almost meeting the quality standard at less than 300. The colour score also dropped from 44 to 21.
“According to standards, it is still not fully suitable for hygiene and sanitation needs. Colour and Total Dissolved Solids do not meet quality standards,” explained Salman Al Farisi, Head of Management Systems and Quality Control PERUMDAM Tirta.
Although not completely below the quality standard, but this is a very good thing. “But from what I see, this is quite good. However, additional processing is needed to meet the requirements.” Salman said.
This is an achievement. The RW administrators were able to tackle the clean water crisis in Muara Angke. At the time of this article was written, four RTs were already using this system. Other RTs that have not yet started building facilities will conduct trials in stages.
