The Dirty Kalianak River, Surabaya, Is Filled With Plastic And Baby Diapers To Make The Water Invisible

Photo via Antara

JAKARTA - Piles of garbage, which are dominated by plastic and baby diapers, can be seen filling the Kalianak River, Morokrembangan, Surabaya City, East Java. Even the water is barely visible anymore.

"Where does this garbage come from? Residents must also care about not littering in the river. If there is a flood, the Surabaya City Government will be blamed," said Deputy Mayor of Surabaya, Armuji when inspecting the Kalianak River, Surabaya, as quoted by Antara.

According to Armuji, the impact of the pile of garbage during heavy rains or high tides, residents' houses in Morokrembangan and Genting Kalianak are always flooded.

During the visit, Armuji along with officers from the Water Resources and Highways Service, the Environment Service, Krembangan District, Morokrembangan Village and community leaders walked along the Kalianak River which divides the villages.

In the meantime, Armuji requested that the Kalianak River be cleaned regularly, while thinking about solutions to normalize the river so that it can function optimally.

"I ask all residents to also be aware that this is a shared responsibility. If you look at the garbage, it is compacted and can be made to walk on it," he said, Monday, March 7.

Armuji said that the Drainage Division of the Surabaya City Water Resources and Highways Service (DSDABM) has prepared a scheme to overcome the problem of flooding and inundation during heavy rains in Surabaya.

"These efforts are through efforts to normalize waterways, optimize pump houses and make channel crossings for quick disposal into rivers," he said.

Head of the Drainage Division of the Surabaya City DSDABM Eko Juli Prasetya previously said that one of the schemes to deal with inundation in the city center or in the Apsari Park area of Surabaya is to build a channel on Jalan Embong Kenongo which goes directly to the Kalimas River.

"To complete the inundation in the city center, we have prepared a drain (channel) to the Kalimas River. The work is carried out through an auction, with an estimated completion of five months," said Eko.