More than 19 tons of waste in the water! This is the most toxic river in the world

By Ahmad Pathoni

Jakarta (Indonesia) - Despite years of effort, the Indonesian authorities are unable to get the huge mountains of waste in the Citarum River on the main island of Java under control.

There are an estimated 19 tons of waste in the Citarum River near the city of Bandung.
There are an estimated 19 tons of waste in the Citarum River near the city of Bandung.  © Dimas Rachmatsyah/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

At present, vast quantities of plastic waste are once again floating along the 270-kilometer-long waterway in the province of Jawa Barat (West Java). The Citarum, which flows through a densely populated region, is considered the dirtiest river in the world.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) had already provided hundreds of millions of dollars for its clean-up in 2008. The government in Jakarta also invested a lot of money.

The Indonesian news agency Antara wrote, citing the Citarum River Basin Center (BBWS), that 19 tons of waste had accumulated again over a length of 800 meters near the city of Bandung since the beginning of the year. Officials are using boats to gradually remove the garbage, some of which is two meters high.

It was only last year that the government proudly presented the progress made in cleaning up the Citarum at the World Water Forum in Bali.

Indonesian officials regularly try to combat the masses of waste - unfortunately often without much success.
Indonesian officials regularly try to combat the masses of waste - unfortunately often without much success.  © Dimas Rachmatsyah/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Wastewater and waste from textile factories pollute the Citarum River

Heavy rain, flooding and strong winds in particular regularly cause new piles of waste to accumulate - as has been the case in recent days. Among other things, sewage and waste from textile factories are responsible for the pollution. In addition, countless residents dispose of their household waste in the river.

At the same time, according to the Jakarta Post newspaper, around 27 million people in West Java and the capital Jakarta are dependent on the water of the Citarum.