PDAM stops taking raw water from Martapura River

Kelotok (traditional boat fitted with motor) pass through Martapura River, while smog blanket the city of Banjarmasin, Thursday (Sept 5). (ANTARA PHOTO/Bayu Pratama S/foc)

We were forced to stop taking raw water from Sungai Bilu intake temporarily, because the Martapura River water in our area (Banjarmasin) is very salty,

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Banjarmasin - President Director of the city owned water company PDAM Bandarmasih Ir H Yudha Ahmadi stated the company has stopped taking raw water from the Martapura River for now.

The reason, he said, the water is salty and it salinity level is over the threshold that it can not be processed for ready to use clean water. "Its salinity level is now above 2,000 mililiter," he said.

The condition occured as seawater intruded the Martapura River, when dry season has been lasting long.

"We were forced to stop taking raw water from Sungai Bilu intake temporarily, because the Martapura River water in our area (Banjarmasin) is very salty," he said.

Now the company takes raw water from Sungai (River) Tabuk in Banjar District. "But the result is our production capicity is now declining by 30 percent," Yudha added.

Sungai Bilu has a capicity of only 500 liter per second, while Sungai Tabuk intake has 1,700 liter per second.

"We can not take raw water from Riam Kanan irrigation, because the water is now being used to wetting the burning land (especially around Syamsudin Noor Airport)," he said.