Back in the 1980s, the Citarum river, was a place where villagers in
Karawang distrit visit to bath, wash clothes and catch fish for barbecues
The 269 kilometres river flows through 12 districts and cities, and into
the Java Sea.It supplies 80 per cent of raw water to the capital of Jakarta and
generates 1,400 megawatts of electricity.
Sadly, the Citarum river is now considered one of the world’s dirtiest
rivers and fish are no longer plentiful.
“Now the water is so dirty we don’t even dare touch it because we’ll get
itchy skins,” said 46-year-old Sumiyati, who used to catch fishes at the river
when she was younger.
It has become a convenient waste dump by factories and residents of the
area
