Citarum River
Encyclopedia
Citarum is a river
in West Java
, Indonesia
. It has an important role in the life of the people of West Java, as it is used to support agriculture, water supply, fishery, industry, sewerage, electricity etc. There are three Hydroelectric powerplant dams installed along this river; Saguling, Cirata, and Ir. H. Djuanda (Jatiluhur) hydroelectric powerplants, all supplying the electricity for Bandung
and Greater Jakarta area. The Jatiluhur Dam with capacity up to 2.5 billion cubic metre is the Indonesian biggest dam in capacity.
The river is heavily polluted by human activity; about five million people live in the basin of the river.
In Indonesian history the river is linked with 4th century Tarumanagara
kingdom, as the kingdom and the river shared the same etymology, derived from the word "Tarum" (Sundanese
for indigo plant
). According to stone inscriptions and Chinese sources, also the archaeological sites such as Batujaya
and Cibuaya, suggested that the human habitation and civilization has flourished in and around the river estuaries and river valley as early as 4th century and even earlier.
On December 5, 2008, the Asian Development Bank
approved a $500 million loan for cleaning up the river, calling it the world's dirtiest.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It has an important role in the life of the people of West Java, as it is used to support agriculture, water supply, fishery, industry, sewerage, electricity etc. There are three Hydroelectric powerplant dams installed along this river; Saguling, Cirata, and Ir. H. Djuanda (Jatiluhur) hydroelectric powerplants, all supplying the electricity for Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
and Greater Jakarta area. The Jatiluhur Dam with capacity up to 2.5 billion cubic metre is the Indonesian biggest dam in capacity.
The river is heavily polluted by human activity; about five million people live in the basin of the river.
In Indonesian history the river is linked with 4th century Tarumanagara
Tarumanagara
Tarumanagara or Taruma Kingdom or just Taruma is an early Sundanese Indianized kingdom, whose fifth-century ruler, Purnavarman, produced the earliest known inscriptions on Java island...
kingdom, as the kingdom and the river shared the same etymology, derived from the word "Tarum" (Sundanese
Sundanese language
Sundanese is the language of about 27 million people from the western third of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population....
for indigo plant
Indigofera
Indigofera is a large genus of about 700 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Fabaceae.The species are mostly shrubs, though some are herbaceous, and a few can become small trees up to tall. Most are dry-season or winter deciduous. The leaves are pinnate with 5–31 leaflets and the...
). According to stone inscriptions and Chinese sources, also the archaeological sites such as Batujaya
Batujaya Archaeological Site
Batujaya is an archeological site located in the village of Batujaya, Karawang in West Java, Indonesia. The site is five square kilometers in area and comprises at least 30 structural in what Sundanese call hunyur or unur...
and Cibuaya, suggested that the human habitation and civilization has flourished in and around the river estuaries and river valley as early as 4th century and even earlier.
On December 5, 2008, the Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
approved a $500 million loan for cleaning up the river, calling it the world's dirtiest.
Revitalization
In November 2011, the river revitalization has been initialised with expected value Rp35 trillion ($4 billion) disbursement in 15 years. The revitalization will be done from Mount Wayang through 8 regency and 3 cities with 180 kilometer lenght. Targeted in the first 3 years will be picked up 10.5 million cubic meters of sedimentation.External links
- The 15 most toxic places to live via Mother Nature NetworkMother Nature NetworkThe Mother Nature Network, MNN.com, is a website that provides environmental and social responsibility news and information. Founded in 2008 by Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell and former marketing executive Joel Babbit, MNN officially launched on Jan...
- Sea of Garbage — pictures of Citarium River pollution
- The Dirtiest River In The World — The Dirtiest River In The World, Photos.
- http://www.citarum.org/ - Bahasa (mainly updated) and English website regarding information on Citarum river recovery effort
- http://citarum.org/knowledge_center/ - You will find information on research, everything from scholarly publications to tool kits for applied research and policy briefs about Citarum River recovery effort. All materials can be freely downloaded from the site