The Problems
Today the Citarum River is known as one of the world’s dirtiest rivers. Economic development and population growth are factors to blame for overuse and increasing industrial pollution over the last twenty years. Deforestation is destroying ecosystems and causing soil erosion, siltation and flooding.
The river’s condition is the result of over nine million people using it as a local dump. The river is packed with trash and plastic loaded with chemical and human waste. A generation ago, the Citarum River was a peaceful waterway where wildlife enjoyed the clean, fresh water and villagers caught fish and made a living off the rice paddies. Today the villagers can’t make money off of fishing anymore, so they’ve turned to picking through the trash that floats on the surface to find items that can be sold or traded.
The Causes
Citarum River, which provides 80 percent of surface water to Jakarta and irrigates farms that supply 5 percent of Indonesia’s rice, was among the most polluted due to hazardous industrial waste.
Textile factories in Bandung and Cimahi were found to be the major toxic waster contributors to the river that was also judged the dirtiest river in the world in 2007.
The mercury, which is burned off during the smelting process, released toxic chemicals into the air and waterways, where it might accumulate in fish and water, it said.
The Effects
Even the water suppliers in Jakarta don’t use the water here because it is so polluted. Instead, they use water from the Citarum River, which is also heavily polluted. Even after this water is treated it’s still unsafe to drink.
Many will turn to use ground water, but due to a poor sewage system and open defecation, 90 percent of ground water in Jakarta is contaminated by E.coli bacteria. Many infant deaths are caused by this bacteria - E.coli is the main threat to human life from these rivers.
When families don’t have access to improved water sources, disease is much more likely.Nearly a quarter of all deaths amongst children under five in Indonesia are caused by diarrhoeal disease.
Dengue fever and malaria, both spread by mosquitoes that thrive in stagnant water, account for an additional 3 percent of overall child deaths, according to Carwardine, who said more focus is needed to end the widespread practice of defecating in the open.
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