President Jokowi: Citarum DAS Revitalization Takes 7 Years

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said the measures to address pollution and destruction of Citarum river basin areas (DAS) is a big task that cannot be finished in one or two days or in one or two years.

“The Government has calculated time needed to revitalize the river, which is around seven years from now. We’ve calculated that revitalization process form the upstream areas, the middle areas and the downstream areas that will be completed insyaallah in seven years,” the President said during a tree-planting event in the upper area of Citarum river in Kertasari district, Bandung Regency, West Java, Thursday (22/2).

For the record, revitalization of DAS Citarum began on 1 February 2018 in Situ Cisanti area in Tarumajaya Village, Kertasari District, Bandung Regency, while on Thursday (22/2) the President led a tree-planting event with trees with ecological and economical values in the upstream area of the river such as rasamala, puspa, mangled, and damar trees and others. According to the President, those trees have positive values and if they can grow, those trees will become endemic or local trees.

The President also said that the rehabilitation of the river would be done in an integrated way, from the Central Government, the provincial government, with the supervision from the Military Area Command (Kodam) III/Siliwangi.

“We will do it together. This is a big job with a long process. It will not be a ceremonial activity like before and I will monitor it regularly,” the President said.

According to the President, every three or six months, he will monitor the progress of the revitalization. “We begin from here, from the lands given by state-plantation firm PTPN covering an area of 980 hectares for seedbed, to be planted trees and for relocation purposes. State-owned forestry company Perhutani has also given its land, in which we will plant with trees,” the President said.

Asked about industrial plants that reportedly often dispose of waste to Citarum River, President Jokowi said that it is a different issue as the revitalization process will begin from the upstream area first.

“It’s a different matter once the revitalization process had already reached the middle area of the river. It’s a different story once we’ve reached the downstream part. We will do revitalization in the upstream area first. Let’s stick to this part first. Let’s focus here first. It’s a long process. It is true that will be actions (against them). I have said that this task will take, inshallah around seven years.,” the President concluded.

Also attending the event were Minister of the Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, and West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan. (*/ES) (EP/YM/Naster)