TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Banjarmasin's Regional Water Company (PDAM), has been forced to extract water from mud as the region's fresh water supply has become too saline for the company's plants to process.
The executive director of Banjarmasin's PDAM, Muslih, said on Monday that the water from Martapura River has become too saline as the backwash of sea water affects the salinity of the waters upstream of the river's delta - which is the region's main fresh water supply.
As a result, PDAM has been forced to switch to other means of acquiring fresh water - which includes the reprocessing of waste water and mud.
"When we pump water from the river, we separate the mud before we distribute it. Normally, we dispose of the mud - but under these circumstances we let the mud settle, after which we suck out any remaining mositure," said Muslih. "It could produce around 15 litres a second."
Muslih added that the process cost quite a lot more than usual, but it is a necessary step considering that the salinity of Martapura river has exceeded 5,000 milligram per liter, which forces PDAM to stop pumping water into its' plants from its' intake pump on Bilu River - which provides the plant with 500 litres of fresh water per second.
Currently, PDAM could only rely on its' intake pump on Tabuk River to supply its' processing plant with fresh water. As a result, distribution to around 150 homes have been affected. "Water is still flowing round the clock - but the pressure is not a powerful as usual," said Muslih.
Banjarmasin's PDAM is advising residents to conserve water and install water tanks, which could be used at times of extreme drought.
ANTARANEWS
