Citraland Surabaya Residents Refuse Water Management To Be Taken Over By PDAM For Fear Of Declining Quality

ILLUSTRATION/PHOTO VIA BETWEEN HO Surabaya City Government

SURABAYA - The majority of residents in the elite housing complex of Citraland and Graha Family in Surabaya, East Java, reject the plan of the Regional Drinking Water Company (PDAM) to take over the management of clean water in the housing estate.

"Most of the residents refused, for fear of a decline in quality and service," said member of Commission A for Law and Government of the Surabaya DPRD, Josiah Michael, as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, July 19.

According to Josiah, this was based on the results of a survey conducted by his team at Citraland Housing and Graha Family. As many as 89 percent of residents in the two elite housing estates refused to take over the management of clean water from PDAM.

"I think that with the rejection, PDAM should introspect that so far it has failed to provide good service to the residents of Surabaya," said Josiah, who is also a resident of Citraland Housing.

For that, he said, his party asked PDAM Surabaya not to impose its will to take over clean water management based on Law Number 17 of 2019 concerning Water Resources (SDA).

"UU 17/2019 still allows room for the private sector to manage their own clean water. To my knowledge, the Act does not yet have a PP (Government Regulation) as its implementing rule," said the PSI legislator.

Josiah asked PDAM to focus first on improving the service and quality of clean water it manages, especially since there are still many areas in Surabaya that have not been able to enjoy clean water services.

In the discussion of the Surabaya Mayor's LKPJ 2021 some time ago, until now there are still 17 regions in Surabaya that have a pressure line of less than 0.2 bar. In fact, in the Pegirian area the pressure is 0 bar.

Chairman of the Surabaya Citraland Community Association (Pawacitra), Frans Waruwu, said that water is a basic need. Thus, one of the products from PDAM in the form of water taken from Umbulan Pasuruan must be of long-term quality, not only for 1-2 years.

Currently, he said, Citraland as a water operator is good and consistent, so the people of Surabaya choose to live in this area. "Even if you change PDAM Umbulan's water products, let the operator stay the same, Citraland," he said.

President Director of PDAM Surabaya Arief Wisnu Cahyono previously stated his readiness to take over water management in elite residential areas such as Citraland and Graha Family. "According to the legislation, the PDAM has the right to manage it," said Wisnu.

According to Wisnu, in Article 1 paragraph 21 of Law Number 17 of 2019 concerning Water Resources (SDA) it is stated that natural resource managers are institutions that are given duties and responsibilities by the central government or local governments in managing natural resources based on the provisions of laws and regulations.

So, he continued, related to water management in Surabaya, the Surabaya City Government has given full water management authority to PDAM which is a Regional Owned Enterprise (BUMD).