Citarum River

Citarum River

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 a 3 billion cubic meter storage capacity has the largest reservoir in Indonesia. The river makes up around 80 per cent of the surface water, and has affected agriculture so much, that fishermen have sold their rice paddies for half their normal price.
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". 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.
In November 2011, the river revitalization began, with an expected cost of Rp35 trillion over a time frame of 15 years. The revitalization is occurring from Mount Wayang through 8 regencies and 3 cities for a distance of 180 kilometers. The target for the 1st 3 years is to pick up 10.5 million cubic meters of sedimentation.

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