TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama admits that he is proud of Dadan, a sewer cleaner commonly known as “orange troops” and other public service employees that are tasked to maintain public infrastructures in Jakarta.
“We appreciate the unit that manages water hygiene, including the blue troops; they work with a high level of dedication,” said Ahok on Friday, February 24, 2017. No too long ago, a video that went viral showed an employee of the Public Infrastructure and Facilities Handling (PPSU) diving into a murky black sewer.
Dadan dived into the sewer in order to clean it without wearing any form of protective gear other than the standard uniform he wears daily. He was cleaning the sewer from bundles of trash and large volumes of sediment that was clogging the bottom of the sewer.
Previously on Tuesday, February 21, 2017, a maintenance crew, Dennis T. Nenometa, was found lifeless after he was dragged away by a river flow in Betik River, North Jakarta. Ahok explained that Dennis' family has received compensation from Jakarta regional government.
“His wife who is currently pregnant is being taken care of until she gives birth. They also have a Worker’s BPJS (insurance) worth at least Rp140 million,” the governor explained.
For the time being, Ahok strongly recommended PPSU workers to stay cautious in conducting their work. “I’ve already bought them diving goggles, but they said that they couldn’t see clearly with it. So I said to just take care of their health,” he said.
ZARA AMELIA | BUDI RIZA