Jakarta, ABIM (12/5/2024) – In addressing pollution and damage to the Watershed (DAS) in the Citarum River, the “Citarum Harum” Program has been successful. Indonesia presents Citarum Harum’s best practices to the 10th World Water Forum, which will take place in Nusa Dua, Bali, from May 18–25, 2024.
The Citarum River, which is 297 kilometers long, is the main river in West Java. The river, which plays an essential role in civilization, has been severely polluted. In 2018, President Joko Widodo launched the “Citarum Harum” program, which aimed to restore the Citarum River’s function and beauty.
Chairman of the 10th World Water Forum, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan as well as Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs said that this program is an integrated, multi-stakeholder collaborative effort including academic institutions, local government, businesses, society, and the media in addition to ministries and agencies. claimed that the initiative is a coordinated, multi-stakeholder cooperative effort involving local government, businesses, academia, media, and ministries/agencies.
The Citarum River revitalization program has a broader meaning. Clean and healthy rivers will flow clean water into the sea. In this way, our seas will become cleaner and more sustainable. In essence, protecting Citarum means protecting the sea, and protecting the sea means protecting Indonesia.
Vice Chairman 1/ Chief Operating Officer
M. Basuki Hadimuljono as well as Minister for Public Works and Housing Prior to this, Basuki Hadimuljono revealed that the Directorate General of Human Settlements has been implementing the Improvement of Solid Waste Management Support Regional and Metropolitan Cities Project (ISWMP) Program through November 2025 in order to handle waste in the Citarum watershed beginning in 2020.
He stated that the achievement of the “Citarum Harum” Program involves collaboration among the central government, regional governments, the corporate world, and the community, as outlined in an action plan for which everyone is responsible.
Watershed management in the Water Resources (SDA) sector starting from river normalization, construction of tunnels, floodways, check dams, construction of waste water treatment facilities and surface waste must be carried out in an integrated manner with other “Citarum Harum” programs such as handling critical land, handling waste and sanitation, handling industrial, domestic and livestock waste as well as spatial planning in upstream watersheds and river borders.
“The achievements of the “Citarum Harum” Program are demonstrated by increasing the Water Quality Index (IKA), reducing the area of critical land and the area of inundation in the Bandung Basin, controlling illegal buildings on river borders and increasing public awareness about the importance of preserving the Citarum River,” said Basuki.
For the sustainability of the “Citarum Harum” program, he said, all stakeholders and elements of society are expected to maintain their joint commitment to making the Citarum watershed clean, healthy, beautiful and sustainable.(ABIM)
