Garbage GROWing In The Martapura River, 'Turbo' Troops Deployed

JAKARTA - The Public Works and Spatial Planning Office of Banjarmasin City in South Kalimantan deployed cleaning troops commonly called "turbo" troops to deal with waste in the Martapura River section.

According to the Head of the River Maintenance and Drainage Technical Implementation Unit of the Banjarmasin City Public Works and Spatial Planning Office, Syafiq Huwaida, "turbo" troops have been deployed since morning to deal with garbage piled up in the river sub-bridged by Pasar Lama.

The "turbo" troops cleaned up the garbage that covered the surface of the Martapura River so that river transportation routes would not be hampered.

"This is a little more open, we can solve the garbage to reduce the pile," said Syafiq as quoted by Antara, Wednesday, February 1.

"We are trying to open the river transportation route first," he added.

Syafiq said that garbage from the upstream area of the Martapura River flowed downstream and caused piles of garbage in the river in the Banjarmasin City area.

He said garbage in the form of branches and tree trunks as well as hyacinth piled up on the Martapura River under the Pasar Lama bridge and the Pangeran Antasari Bridge near Sudpimpir Market.

"But, what's more, it's under the Pasar Lama bridge, closing all the surfaces of the river, because there are a lot of bridge poles," he said.

He added that garbage piled up in the river when the Martapura River receded. The river water now receded from 12.00 p.m. to 14.00 p.m. local time.

Syafiq said that the sweeping ship would be deployed to lift garbage piled up down the Martapura River.

He hopes that the local government, whose territory is passed by the Martapura River, will work together to deal with the garbage in the river.

In addition, he appealed to residents to work together to clean up the garbage that littered the Martapura River.