TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Jakarta Sanitary Agency’s head of Water and Parks Task Force Unit, Budhi Karya, said the Jakarta administration had managed to rid the capital’s rivers of waste, including Mookevart River. “We used heavy equipment to clean the river,” he said in his office on Tuesday, April 28, 2015.

Budhi said the agency deployed ten amphibious excavators to clean up the river, adding that heavy equipment had proved more effective in cleaning up trash compared to manpower. “Heavy equipment can replace 150 janitors,” he said.

Budhi explained, however, that the Jakarta government still lacked the necessary heavy equipment to keep the capital clean. He said there were only 33 units of amphibious equipment and seven units of spider excavators, which were all bought through e-purchasing in 2014.

He said ideally the capital should have 60 units of amphibious equipment and an excavator should be available in each district.

Adhi said the need for more heavy equipment was urgent, allowing for the 141 rivers flowing across the capital.

Meanwhile, Pandapotan Sinaga, a member of the Jakarta Legislative Council’s (DPRD) commission overseeing infrastructure, said the city government should first review its demand for the heavy equipment, saying the equipment would be useless sans their operators.

He said it would be best if the government worked together with a private party to conduct prior training for would-be operators of the equipment. “Train them first, then buy the equipment,” he said.

ERWAN HERMAWAN