The Nastiest River Alive: A Dive into Indonesia's Filthiest Waterway – the Citarum
- Yo
Exploring the Muddy Torrent: Navigating the World's Alleged Most Polluted Waterway - Navigating through a Lake of Trash: Journey Towards the "Most Polluted River on Earth"
Meet Wida Widiarti, a local resident who's spent her entire life next to the Citarum River on Java Island, Indonesia. She's witnessed the river morph from a lifeline into a repulsive poster child for environmental pollution. This fetid river often gets a dirty nickname - the "world's dirtiest river."
Widiarti, standing by the riverbank with her young daughter, peers at the murky water teeming with plastic debris, broken footwear, and unidentifiable junk. Some seasons are worse than others, with garbage sometimes covering the water surface. "Even in good times, the Citarum seldom stays trash-free," Widiarti says.
So, why does Southeast Asia have such a hideous waste issue?
Indonesia alone, with its rapid population growth and tourism boom, ranks as the second most significant contributor of plastic waste into the world's oceans, followed closely by China. Other countries in the region deal with similar waste proportions.
Here's a quick lowdown:
- Ineffective waste separation
- Lack of recycling infrastructure
- Increasing plastic waste
- Disposal of waste in the environment due to poor waste management and lack of environmental awareness
As activist Annie Leonard famously put it, "There's no place called 'away.' When we throw something away, it goes somewhere."
Now, let's discuss Europe's contribution to the waste mayhem.
Behold, the "away" – Germany exports tons of plastic waste, amounting to 732,000 metric tons in 2020, much of it winding up in neighboring countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Tracking and control systems, as well as the recycling infrastructure in these countries, often prove inadequate, with only a portion of the waste getting recycled. The rest gets burned, dumped, or disposed of illegally, with a sizable chunk arriving in the ocean.
The Beach Scene in Bali, Thailand, and Beyond
Even in idyllic Bali, the neighboring island of Java, beaches offer more terror than dreams, especially during the rainy season. Tons of waste wash up on the shores, fouling the surfer's paradise of Kuta. While tourists enjoy the waves, they unwittingly contribute to the mountains of single-use packaging, straws, styrofoam, and plastic cups littering the beaches.
In Thailand, it's a similar ghastly story. Tourists are often taken aback, particularly on world-renowned islands like Koh Samui and Phuket. Functioning landfills and waste management are in short supply, existing only in larger cities like Bangkok. The result? More (mostly illegal) waste dumps sprouting up – just meters away from luxury five-star hotels!
Polluting the Citarum: Chronic River Maladies
The Citarum spans a whopping 290 kilometers, traveling through the heart of West Java province before finally emptying into the Java Sea. This mighty river serves as a vital source of drinking water, irrigation, and hydropower for almost 30 million people, including inhabitants of the sprawling metropolis Jakarta, which is a mere 2-hour car ride away.
A wave of industrial development swept through the region in the 1980s, with countless textile factories springing up along the Citarum banks. These factories have discharged toxic waste, including heavy metals, dyes, and microplastics, into the water. Greenpeace reported on this in a chilling report just a few years back.
The "Fragrant Citarum" Campaign
Government investigations in 2018 found that around 2,700 medium and large industries were contributing to the Citarum pollution with their chemicals. Every day, up to 340,000 tons of hazardous waste were dumped into the river, causing streaks of toxic foam in some areas. The situation was exacerbated by the rapid urbanization and increases in daily waste, particularly single-use plastic.
Former President Joko Widodo launched an ambitious cleanup campaign, "Citarum Harum," or the "fragrant Citarum," with a goal of making the river's water safe to drink again within seven years.
Progress, but With Hardships
Seven years have elapsed. Has the campaign been successful? Kind of. The water quality has, for the most part, improved owing to new wastewater treatment plants; however, environmental activists caution that many factories continue to release their toxic wastewater into the river, primarily at night to avoid being caught.
Moreover, a 2023 study revealed that toxic leachate from the province's largest landfill was seeping into the Citarum.
Last year, photos and videos of the Citarum showed the struggle of authorities trying to clear a massive pollution carpet using small boats. It looks more like a losing battle against Goliath than any David and Goliath epic you might think of.
Authorities estimated this pollution mass stretches over 3 kilometers and weighs approximately 100 tons. Yet, as incidents of improvement occur, new waste masses swiftly take their place.
A Never-Ending Plastic Cycle
It's all part of an endless plastic cycle. As people, due to a lack of access to clean drinking water, turn to bottled water, much of it ends up in the river, recycling the cycle of filth. "The Citarum disaster remains dire," said Daru Setyorini, an environmental activist with Ecoton, speaking to the German Press Agency.
Instead of simply fishing the trash out of the river, she argues, the government should focus on preventing trash from entering in the first place. "The Citarum cannot be saved by cleanup efforts alone," the activist insists, "unless we address the root cause - regulate industries, educate the population, and advance sustainable waste management, the Citarum will continue to face challenges."
- Wida Widiarti, a resident next to the Citarum River, discusses the river's transformation from a lifeline into a symbol of environmental pollution, often referred to as the "world's dirtiest river."
- Indonesia, with its rapid population growth and tourism, ranks as the second-largest contributor of plastic waste into the world's oceans. Other Southeast Asian countries face similar waste issues due to ineffective waste separation, lack of recycling infrastructure, increasing plastic waste, and improper waste disposal.
- Annie Leonard's quote, "There's no place called 'away.' When we throw something away, it goes somewhere," highlights the global waste problem.
- Germany exported tons of plastic waste in 2020, much of which ended up in neighboring Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, contributing to environmental pollution.
- The Citarum River, a significant source of drinking water, irrigation, and hydropower for millions, has been polluted by industrial waste from numerous textile factories. These factories discharge toxic waste, including heavy metals, dyes, and microplastics, into the water, causing harm to the environment.
- Former President Joko Widodo launched the "Citarum Harum," or the "fragrant Citarum," campaign to clean up the river and make the water safe to drink again within seven years.
- Seven years later, while some progress has been made, the campaign's success is questionable as many factories continue to release toxic wastewater into the river, primarily at night to avoid detection. The Citarum disaster remains dire, and the main solution, according to environmental activists, lies in addressing the root causes, such as regulating industries, educating the population, and advancing sustainable waste management.
