Cleaning Up the World's Most Polluted River

Indonesians are hoping new funding from the Asian Development Bank will allow the government to clean up the garbage-choked Citarum River. Fishermen are among those most severely affected by the pollution. Citarum, the biggest river basin in Java, produces 80 percent of the surface water supply for Jakarta and delivers about 20 percent of Indonesia's gross domestic product. It runs for 200 miles from Bandung in West Java until it reaches the sea at Karawang, outside the capital, Jakarta. The Citarum provides fresh water, electricity and some marine life for daily sustenance for the 30 million people who live in the river basin in Indonesia's densely populated Java Island. Since the 1980s sections of the river have become choked with garbage and stagnant with industrial chemicals, sewerage and other wastes from the residents along its banks – it has been called the world's most polluted river. Fishermen like Ujan Sujana have to work much harder for a living in the once fish-rich waters. [Ujan Sujana, Fisherman]: "Because of the garbage and wastes in the river, my daily income dropped. I hope the government gives attention to the polluted river as it affects our income." Environmental activist group Forum on Environment and Social have urged the government to rehabilitate the river's upper course. The group worries that the massive pollution will have a domino effect further downriver. [Saung Dwi, Environmentalist]: "The problem first started in the 1980s before it worsened in the 1980s when factories, especially textile plants, began operating at Citarum's upper course." The Indonesian government's efforts to clean and rehabilitate the river received a major boost last December when the Asian Development Bank approved $500 million U.S. dollars to fund the project. Some of the money has already been disbursed but officials say the money has yet to filter down to the ground. [Andung Dady, Supervisor, Rivers & Lakes Rehabilitation]: "The loan is definitely there but the implementation is still on progress as we are negotiating the costs. We have launched a biodigestion program for animal wastes to generate electricity which can be used for their cooking and electrical needs and prevent them from polluting the river." Dady says the Asian Development Bank funds will be used to support community sanitation solutions, the construction of solid waste facilities and wastewater treatment plants in the Citarum river basin. It may take another 25 years, however, before the Citarum is returned to the pristine waterway it once was.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• ntd
• ntdtv
• news
• river
• polluted
• citarum
• cleaning
• government
• wastes
• basin
• development
• asian
• garbage
• java
• dady
• course
• money

[stAbbmeiful0vesme]

i wouldn't eat those fishes, eww .

[1stsmosh]

US Social security money WASTED!

[LaughableXD1]

1:53 - 1:57 anyone hear to fuck the project?

[SamuelJoaodaSuica]

@Dzongka

yeah, I'll consider that next time...

[Dzongka]

@SamuelJoaodaSuica Blind racism in my opinion. In order to address an issue, you don't start off with insults. Learn this before you blindly go about bad-mouthing whole groups of people. Cheers.

[SamuelJoaodaSuica]

@Dzongka

I didn't watch this video, I thought I was looking at the Ganges. This river is actually cleaner than the one I'm talking about...

[Dzongka]

@SamuelJoaodaSuica This is Indonesia. These people are Muslims. There are no Hindus on Java, you fool.

[handiest1]

that is disgusting, get the hell in there with a net, and clean it up!

[MrJustin017]

i dont believe that all of the fund from the international bank will use because of corruption

[SamuelJoaodaSuica]

@rizqferd

Yeah, but at least the West doesn't worship the worlds dirtiest river. At least the west recognises shit water when it sees it. The ignorance of these Hindus is mind boggling. If it's polluted, don't drink, bathe, wash your clothes, or use it at all! And why would you worship a river? that's so stupid!

[SamuelJoaodaSuica]

Typical Hindus. Leave it to them to pollute a great river, and then worship it. What a bunch of ignorant dumb-arses. They are a disgrace to humanity...

They think it's holy instead of polluted! They deserve to get diseased... backward assholes...

[vidaripollen]

only primitive areas and people have access to pure rivers.