TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta's Water Utilities Company (PAM Jaya) said that its' Non-Revenue Water (NRW) losses in 2014 stands at around 40 percent, peaking at 42 percent in October 2014.
PAM Jaya's Executive Director, Sri Widyanto Kaderi, said that the severity of water losses in the capital is much more worse compared to the national average, which stands at 33 percent. "These values are way beyond the upper limit set by the central government," said Sri at her office on Thursday, November 6, 2014.
According to the Minister of Home Affairs Decree No. 47/1999 on Maximum Water Loss Allowed for PAM Jaya, the upper limit for NRW losses are set at 20 percent.
Sri said that most of the losses could be attributed to theft by local residents who had devised different methods to stealing water from PAM Jaya, including illegal re-routing of water mains and/or fire hydrants. In many cases, the water are collected in tanks to be illegally redistributed to residents, or sold for a price.
PAM Jaya said that the company has tried a number approaches to at least reduce the rate of water losses to the national average - for example, PAM Jaya has formed and dispatched a joint-team consisting of local water utilities company PAM, Palyja, and Aetra to prosecute incidence of water thefts. The team also actively run socialisations sessions in communities to stop further incidence of thefts.
The joint-team, which was first formed in 2011, has brought thousands of perpetrators to court, and many have since been imprisoned for their actions. That said, the very light nature of the sentences diminishes the deterrent effect of the punishment. Under Local Regulation No. 11 of 1993 on Water Utilities, those proven guilty faces a maximum sentence of 6 months imprisonment and a maximum fine of Rp50 million.
"It's definitely not enough to deter future incidents," said Sri, who calls for the Regulation to be revised and merged with existing Environmental Regulations, which could see perpetrators fined up to Rp 10 billion.
ERWAN HERMAWAN
