Problems
The Chilliwung River in Indonesia is recognized as the dirtiest river in the world
«Of the more than 550 rivers in Indonesia, 52 are heavily polluted, including the Chilliwung River in Jakarta,» said Irwan Gunawan of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) during a discussion on World Water Day, celebrated March 22. Irvan Gunawan noted that rivers in Indonesia, which are important for social, agricultural, and industrial activities, are mostly in alarming condition due to pollution by household and industrial waste. It is known that most of the garbage produced by Jakarta residents ends up in the waters of the Chilliwunga, a river that has become one of the most polluted in the world. All because there is no organized garbage collection in the city. The Chilliwung River is 200 miles long and is the main river flowing through the nation's capital, Jakarta. Of Jakarta's ten million residents, half live on less than $2 a day, and a large portion of these people live along the Siliwung River, which is its main problem. Since the river flows only 20 kilometers from Jakarta, a large amount of waste from textile industries, which began active development about 30 years ago, enters it every day. In addition, many residents dump household garbage into the Chilliwung. Despite the level of pollution, the water of the river is used for bathing and other needs of about 80% of city residents. Recently, the situation has become so critical that it has become a danger to public health. The river water decomposes waste of all kinds, even dead animals, releasing cadaveric poisons. It is estimated that it will take 20 years to clean up the river. At the same time, millions of people depend on Chilliwung, the main source of drinking water. But only a small fraction of the garbage stays in place. Almost all of the waste is carried by the river into the sea, where it causes irreparable harm to many species of marine animals. According to the UN, there are 46,000 pieces of garbage per square kilometer of the world's oceans. Plastic particles attract harmful chemical compounds to their surface, making them even more dangerous to living organisms and the people who eat them. Pollutants accumulate at every level of the food chain, with predators, including humans, contaminating the most. The first thing that catches your eye when you look at the Seelawung flowing through Jakarta is the amount of trash that has accumulated on its surface. It's a terrifying sight, but the real problem is what's underneath the trash. People who live along the Chilliwong use the river for everything from laundry to cleaning clothes and dishes to bathing and, unfortunately, going to the bathroom. Pollution by human waste is the biggest cause of pollution in Chilliwong. Acid rain and uncontrolled garbage disposal cause severe disruption of ecosystems and public health. This is according to the first environmental report of the World Bank on Indonesia. Drinking water in this country is heavily polluted because 90 percent of industrial and household garbage is dumped elsewhere, bypassing officially organized landfills. Typhoid fever is the highest in the entire Asian region, and gastrointestinal epidemics are also common.
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Timelines
2022
April 26
An NGO studying the health of waterways in Indonesia has found that the Ciliwung, the main river which flows through Jakarta on densely populated Java Island, is badly contaminated with small particles of plastic – or micro-plastics – threatening human health and aquatic life. Those efforts revealed that garbage bags, straws, and plastic along with organic waste polluted the river and micro-plastics that had drifted from upstream Bogor. “Micro-plastics attack respiratory systems and trigger the death of fish,” Prigi said, noting that testing showed as many as 268 particles in 100 liters of water. The Ciliwung probe follows a 2021 expedition by Ecoton to the Brantas, Bengawan Solo, and Citarum rivers in the provinces of East Java, Central Java, and West Java, respectively. It found that their health was harmed by pollution from industries located along their banks. The largest environmental advocacy NGO in Indonesia, Walhi, said rivers around the capital are polluted with 300 to 400 tons of waste a day including disposable diapers, organic waste, glass, metal, plastic bottles, and plastic packaging.
2020
February 21
A study involving a team of Indonesian scientists from local NGO Waste4Change and Dutch researchers found that samples from the Chilliwung River are more contaminated than at least 20 rivers in Europe and Southeast Asia. The scientists monitored macroplastic levels at five locations in the Chilliwung River and found 20,000 items flowing into the ocean per hour. This figure is much higher than for the Chao Phraya River in Thailand (5,000 items per hour), the Seine River in France (700 items), and the Rhine River, which is also among the world's dirtiest rivers.
2018
August 12
The Jakarta authorities have launched a program to solve the environmental problems of the Chilliwung River, which flows in the northwestern part of the island of Java. Today it is considered the dirtiest in the world. City officials have decided to impose strict controls on business owners who ignore regulations on waste disposal. Company directors who fail to comply with environmental requirements will have their business licenses revoked. Hidden video surveillance cameras will be installed on the river banks to tighten control over violators. According to the authorities, it will help combat those citizens who at dawn, when there are no witnesses, dump household garbage into the Chilliwung. In addition, special equipment will be used to clean the river. According to the Ministry of Marine Affairs of Indonesia, the authorities have taken the problem seriously this time. The Jakarta authorities have set a goal to make the waters of the Chilivung River as clean as they were half a century ago by 2025.
2016
November 30
The Environment Ministry has renewed its commitment to cleaning up the heavily polluted Ciliwung River, blaming the lack of progress so far on red tape. Jossy Suzzana, the ministry’s head of rivers, said the Ciliwung, which flows from the Puncak highlands in Bogor and through Jakarta, emptying in Jakarta Bay, was one of 13 major rivers across the country that would be prioritized for rehabilitation. She said that under the new plan, the ministry expected to clean up the river in 20 years. Jossy said it was critical to start cleaning up the river immediately, given its dire condition. “We know where the pollution is coming from, so we can work on a recovery plan, such as installing a wastewater processing system or promoting recycling to riverbank dwellers,” Jossy said.