CITARUM-Expedition to Downstream Citarum River by Wanadri (English)
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Transcript of 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.
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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.
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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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