Tik... tik... tik.... A light drizzle broke the silence of a quite morning at the pond where the water from the Citarum and Cikahuripan springs meet in Tarumajaya village, Kertasari district, Bandung regency, West Java. The rain also broke the reflection of Mount Wayang on the waters surface.
The water from the pond, which is four meters in diamater and is surrounded by lush trees, continues to flow and meets with the water from five other springs at Cisanti Lake, which is about eight hectares in size. This water is the main source of Citarum River, which flows 297 kilometers downstream to the ocean in Muara Gembong, Bekasi regency.
“As suggested by its its name, which means \'water of life,’ Cikahuripan Stream supports the livelihoods of millions of people," said Atep Permana, the caretaker of the Citarum and Cikahuripan springs.
Citarum River, which passes through 12 districts and cities, is essential to lives of more than 25 million people living in the Citarum River Basin (DAS). Water from Citarum River is used for the irrigation of about 420,000 hectares of paddy fields in Subang, Karawang, Purwakarta and Indramayu. The water from Citarum River is also used for hydropower plants in Jatiluhur, Saguling and Cirata, which produce 1,888 megawatts of electricity. About 80 percent Jakarta’s untreated water is also supplied from this river.
Pollution
Citarum River is, however, heavily polluted. The color of the water has turned black from the pollution. Based on data from the Citarum River rehabilitation task force, some 340,000 tons of waste water from factories is disposed into the river everyday.
In addition, about 20,462 tons of waste, including medical waste, 35.5 tons of human feces and 56 tons of livestock manure are discharged into the river.
According to data from the environment agency of West Java province, Citarum River is categorized as seriously polluted. It contains ecoli bacteria and mercury that are very harmful to the human body.
Clean water is found only at Cisanti Lake at the headwaters of the river. The pollution begins about 300 meters downstream from the lake. In Kampung Pejaten, Tarumajaya village, residents dispose of cow dung directly into the river.
The forest in the hills 500 meters from the lake has become a residential area with vegetable gardens planted with potatoes and green onions. As the rainwater is not absorbed by the soil, the hills are prone to landslides. The soil from the vegetable gardens slides into the river, contributing to sedimentation and causing siltation of the river.
Restoration
To restore the upstream area of Citarum River, the Citarum River Task Force routinely cleans up Cisanti Lake. The lake, which was once was filled with water hyacinth, moss and littered with plastic waste, is now cleaner. Only some areas are still covered by water hyacinth and moss.
The team also grows seeds for tree nurseries. A 25 hectare plot of land owned by PT Perkebunan Nusantara VIII plantation, which was previously used by citizens to grow vegetables, has been used for seedling activities.
There are thousands of seedlings from different types of trees, such as mala, vetiver, coffee, and quinine in polybags. Planted since December, the seedlings are now as high as 30-100 centimeters. The land is used for a nursery to grow 116,025 plants for the reforestation of bare land in the upstream Citarum River Basin area.
The Citarum River Task Force has also prepared four to six hectares of land for the relocation of 360 families living 10-12 meters from the river banks, which will be reforestated.
Each family will get a house measuring 6 by 6 meters. The houses consist of two bedrooms and one bathroom. The settlement area will have septic tanks so human feces will not be disposed of into the river.
The construction of the houses, carried out by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, is scheduled for completion within the next three months. The cost of building the houses is around Rp 46.8 billion, not including land acquisition the construction of supporting facilities, such as electricity and water.
Relocated residents will pay nothing for the houses and facilities. "Any land restoration effort will be in vain if citizens are not given alternatives of other livelihoods. Therefore, the root of the problem is a matter of people\'s stomachs," said Agus Drajat, the chairman of the Forest Community Institution.
The head of Tarumajaya village, Ayi Iskandar, said the residents supported the greening program around the lake. However, they needed alternatives to earn a living.
The vice chairman of the Citarum River Task Force, Maj. Gen. Doni Monardo said the residents who previously planted vegetables would be employed in a tree nursery and paid a salary of Rp 1.9 million per month.
"The wage is better than the money they earned from the vegetable gardens, which take about three to four months to harvest," said Ayi. Residents will also be taught to plant more eco-friendly and landslide-resistant commodities, such as avocado and coffee.
While waiting about three years for the coffee harvest and five years for avocado harvests, residents will be employed in the nursery. “Solutions must be found from upstream to downstream. When the upstream problem is resolved, the river can then enjoy the results," said Doni.
That morning, after explaining the situation of Cisanti Lake to the task force, Atep said softly, "I want the springs, which have existed for thousands of years, to continue to provide for the livelihoods of many people."
