Jakarta – A giant black nylon net covering Sentiong River, nicknamed Kali Item (Black River), in Kemayoran, North Jakarta, has been damaged by trapped trash and cigarette butts just days after its installation.

At least 10 tears of varying sizes have been spotted in the 689-meter-long net, and trash such as water bottles, cigarette packs and dried leaves have started to accumulate on top of it.

The city administration spent Rp 580 million (US$40,002) to purchase the net, which is intended to mask the river's pollution and stench from Asian Games visitors who are set to arrive in Jakarta next week. Sentiong River is located across the athletes village in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Governor Anies Baswedan has also ordered the placing of decorative lamps on top of the net. However, residents of the area have started throwing their trash onto the net, according to Saiful, who lives near the river.

"At night, a lot of people loiter around here. They would throw their trash onto the center of the net, and their cigarette butts have also torn some parts of the net," Saiful said on Wednesday as reported by kompas.com.

In the meantime, the Jakarta Water Resource Agency has started to use aerators and nano bubble technology to clean up the river, though results have been insignificant. The city plans to add more aerator machines soon. (ami)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/07/25/black-river-nylon-net-damaged-by-trash-cigarettes.html