citarum-expedition to downstream citarum river by wanadri (english)

8/6/2019 CITARUM-Expedition to Downstream Citarum River by Wanadri (English)

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Photography: Veronica Wijaya, Candra Samekto, Diella Dachlan

Wanadri Citarum Ekspedition 2009........................2

Muara Gembong, Bekasi.........................................4A Portrait of Estuary Society ...................................9

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Water Pollution: A blessing or A Disaster?...........18

Editor: Candra Samekto. Text & Layout: Diella Dachlan



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Going through the Citarum river from its upstream to downstream was

one of Wanadri expedition activities in 2009. W anadri is an association

of jungle adventurers and mountain climbers, which was founded

in 1964, located in Bandung.

During this expedition, W anadri collected some data as well as

documentation along the Citarum River. While making some

observations on the conditions as well as the problems of the river, the

social life of Citarum people was also recorded through several interviews

and discussions.

Preparatory activities have been carried out since mid 2009 with the

support from various parties, including the contributions of senior

Wanadri members and other funding sources. This expedition was

implemented within a period of about six to nine months, and was

attended by Wanadri members from different years. This year's expedition

was especially devoted to recording the Citarum estuary in Bekasi.

In addition to obtaining recorded data and documentation on the physical

condition and social life along the river, it was also expected that this

activity can form part of an awareness campaign aimed at thepublic on Citarum issues and problems.

Wanadri Citarum Ekspedition 2009



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Muara Gembong, Bekasi Muara Gembong,

Bekasi Citarum River estuary is located in

Bekasi Regency, in an area called MuaraGembong. It is approximately 64 km from

Bekasi city center. Administratively, this is a

district between North Jakarta and Kerawang

Regencies.

Fisheries are mostly found in the area, for

example, milkfish ponds, fish cages in the

river and sea run by groups of individuals,

marine fish, crabs and shrimp caught by

fishermen.

Muara Gembong, Bekasi

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According to local residents, until the late 80s, this area was a massive mangrove area. Monkeys were mostly found

there, as well as other animals, such as birds and snakes.



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Nowadays, the area looks very different. With the rapid

population growth in this area, the transformation of

mangrove forest lands into business and residential area,the existence of these animals have been increasingly

marginalized and is today rarely seen.

In term of environment, the river has also experienced a

decline and in fact, become a source of various problems.

One of the most common complaints voiced by the

residents concerns the disposal of industrial

waste which allegedly comes from Karawang.

Waste not only make the water stink, but also

result in dead fish, which is disadvantageous for thefishing businesses in the area.



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Flooding which comes every year between the months

of December and February has caused a variety of losses

for the local residents, such as fish pond business lossed,crop failure, and diseases.

The point where the river and the sea meets has become

more and more shallow due to the increasing

sedimentation. In this location, the water level in some

areas only reaches half a meter. This makes it difficult

for fishing boats to remain buoyant.

According to media reports, around eleven estuary

in the north shore of Bekasi regency are becoming more

and more shallow within a distance of 2 kilometers tothe sea. These eleven downstreams are as follows: Muara

Bendera (Citarum), Muara Mati, Muara Besar, Muara

Kuntul, Muara Jaya, Muara Gobah, Muara Blacan, Sungai

Labuh, Cikarang Bekasi Laut, Muara Bungin, dan Muara

Beting. (Koran Tempo, July 15th, 2008)



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Disasters due to polluted water resources do not seem to stop there. Abrasion hazards continue to threaten today.

A few decades ago the shoreline was about 200 to 300 meters closer to the beach than it is today (Republika,

June 16, 2007). In the last two years abrasion appears to worsen. It has in fact removed about a thousand hectares

of farming lands. Local residents believe that sea sand theft and destruction of mangrove forests have caused

acceleration of the abrasion (Koran Tempo, August 19th, 2004).



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A Potrait of The Estuary Society



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A Potrait of The Estuary Society

Most people found at the border between the river

and the sea are fishermen coming from

northern regions, Cirebon, Java Island.

In general, they work for employers in the fishing

industries.

Today's fishing villages were initially built fromone or two semi-permanent houses (made of bamboo,

plywood planks.) One house can be occupied

by more than two families and is often visited by

nomad fishermen who stop to work and stay for a

while.

The women in this area typically assist their

husbands and take care of the family. However,

many of them choose to work abroad as migrant

workers (Tenaga Kerja Indonesia - TKI) in

neighbouring countries such as Malaysia.



There are also people on the banks of the river

who earn their living by assisting people to cross theriver using wooden boats. This type of transportation

is an option for traveling around the community

because it is cheaper and relatively faster to get to

regional trade centers such as Marunda / Cilincing.

Occasionally, however, there are boats which sell

daily goods.

For shopping and trading, people in this area prefer

Cilincing or Marunda (North Jakarta) compared

to the city of Bekasi, which takes approximately twoto three hours by boat and by land to reach.

There are Infrastructure conditions in such fisherman

villages are still very limited. The roads are dirt roads

that will quickly turn to mud when it rains.

Some public facilities, such as health centers and

schools, but they are still very limited.

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The availability of clean water is still an

unresolved problem. People living along

the river and around the estuary have to

buy clean water they have no other

alternatives to meet their basic needs. Clean

water can be purchased from water sellerson boats.

The price of water in Muara Gembong

ranges from IDR 7000,- to IDR 10.000,

- per 20-liters. They use the clean water

for cooking and drinking only, whereas

for bathing and rinsing raw foods they

choose to use the water from the river

which is available for free at the back of

their houses.

Houses in this village are mostly made of gedhek (woven bamboo walls), plywood and timber. When it is too windy,

walls and roofs are often ly blown away and when it rains, it is common for houses to leaks.Most people in this village use the river for bathing, washing and as a toilet. There are no waste management facilities

found, so the garbage piles up, both in the village and along the river.



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Mrs. Wani (55 years old), a fried-snack seller,

earns approximately Rp. 15,000-20,000 a day. She

has 5 children, the youngest is aged 11 and still

at elementary school.

Her aged husband is sick and so it is impossible forhim to help her make a living. Therefore, besides

selling fried snacks, Mrs. Wani also collects

firewood and api-api leaves that can be used to

build a roof, and she also works in her

neighbor's fish pond.

“I cannot say exactly how much I earn, on average

I earn IDR 5,000 – 15,000. Sometimes it is not

enough to buy food for my family, but I thank

God because I can still send my kids to school,”

She explained.

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A Portrait of The Estuary Society

Mrs. Wani



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Her village has just been hit by strong wind. The walls

and roof of her oldest child's home were completelyddamaged, making the house uninhabitable.

“There isn't enough money to rebuild the house, so they're

staying with me at the moment,” said Mrs. W ani without

showing any signs of desperation.



A Blessing or Disaster?

The fact that the general public and industries treat

Citarum River as a garbage dump is a huge concern.

Local people are normally found gathering along the

banks of the river to collect floating dead

shrimps, crabs, and many other kinds of fish.Apparently, this is a result of water pollution caused

by waste disposal which the society claimed to

be the acts of irresponsible large textile industries.

On one hand, this pollution is terribly harmful

for the environment and the ecological life in the

river. On the other hand, the residents nearby take

it as a blessing as they can easily get fish to sell or for

their own daily needs without considering the

long term effects of poisonous substances contained

within the fish.

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Water Pollution



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citarum-expedition to downstream citarum river by wanadri (english)

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