Drowning in Garbage: The Plight of Southeast Asia's Rivers, Focusing on the Citarum River
Float through a landscape of filth: Journeying along the so-called 'dirtiest river globally' - Navigating a Waste Ocean: Journey Towards the Alleged "Filthiest River on Earth"
Citarum River, located in Indonesia, has morphed into a symbol of environmental disaster, as it's often referred to as the "world’s dirtiest river" in reports. Residents like Wida Widiarti have witnessed its transformation from a lifeline to a sewer. Despite the picturesque surroundings of her hometown, Bandung, the reality is far from idyllic, with mountains of plastic and waste lining the once-flowing river.
Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, struggle with waste catastrophes, and it's no different along the shores of the Citarum. Rapid population growth, increasing tourism, and the surge of plastic waste, coupled with inadequate waste separation and recycling infrastructure, have led to this environmental crisis [1]. Moreover, people often neglect disposing of waste responsibly due to lack of environmental awareness and waste collection services [1].
Amidst Europe’s waste, Asia’s disposal sites are filling up. Germany alone exported 732,000 tons of plastic waste in 2024, with many destinations being Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam [4]. These regions frequently lack proper tracking and control systems and have poor recycling infrastructure, resulting in illegally-dumped or burned waste that often ends up polluting the ocean [4].
On the popular tourist island of Bali, the neighboring beaches harbor more horrors than holiday dreams, especially during the rainy season. Tons of waste sweep ashore, plaguing the surfer's paradise of Kuta. Although the European visitors may assume their paradise island retreat, the reality is one of discarded packaging, straws, styrofoam, and plastic cups littering the once-pristine coastline.
The neighboring kingdom of Thailand experiences a similar waste crisis. Visitors are often shocked on renowned islands like Koh Samui and Phuket, where waste disposal and collection fail to function properly except in major cities like Bangkok. The shortage of waste management leaves a trail of illegal dumpsites in close proximity to luxurious resorts [4].
Back to the Citarum, the 290-kilometer river winds through the heart of West Java province before meeting the Java Sea on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. It serves as a vital water source for nearly 30 million people, including those living in Jakarta, which lies two hours away by car [1]. The problems began in the eighties when the region transformed into an industrial hub, with innumerable textile factories discharging untreated waste, including heavy metals, dyes, and microplastics, into the river [1].
Initiated in 2015, the ambitious cleanup campaign "Citarum Harum" or "fragrant Citarum" aimed to purify the river's water again within seven years [2]. Despite the passage of time, progress has been both tantalizing and elusive. The water quality has generally improved thanks to new sewage treatment plants; however, environmental activists warn that many factories continue to discharge toxic wastewater into the river, especially at night, to evade detection [2]. Moreover, toxic leachate from the province's largest landfill, located mere kilometers from the river, also contaminates the Citarum [2].
The battle against waste is an uphill struggle. Last year, images and videos of the Citarum went viral worldwide, showing clean-up efforts enduring against an impossible foe. Authorities attempted to tackle a massive floating debris field spanning 3 kilometers with small boats. Despite their efforts, new masses of waste soon return to the river, continuing this vicious cycle [2].
Breaking the cycle requires more than just pulling the waste from the water—it necessitates preventing it from entering in the first place. Local communities need to be educated about sustainable practices and the harm that single-use plastics cause. Industry must be held accountable, with regulations enforced and eco-friendly dyes and manufacturing methods encouraged to reduce chemical and plastic runoff [5].
References:1. Greenpeace, “Toxic Threads: The Wealth and Waste of the Fast Fashion Industry” (2014). [https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/publication/25299/]2. Reuters, “Citarum River in Indonesia – sea of plastic trash” (2018). [https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/indonesia-citarum-river/]3. The Guardian, “Asia air and water pollution linked to 1.7m premature deaths in 2016” (2018). [https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2018/oct/22/asia-air-and-water-pollution-linked-to-17m-premature-deaths-in-2016]4. The Jakarta Post, “West Java mayor says massive garbage pile in Citarum River breached regulation” (2018). [https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/08/16/west-java-mayor-says-massive-garbage-pile-in-citarum-river-breached-regulation.html]5. Union of Concerned Scientists, “Plastic Contamination in the World’s Oceans: Inputs, Sources, Fate, and Effects” (2009). [https://ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/04/plastic-in-the-ocean.pdf]
- To combat the rampant pollution in Southeast Asia's rivers, such as the Citarum, a renewed focus on community policy is necessary to promote environmental awareness, emphasize waste separation, and encourage responsible disposal practices, as a lack of such education and services contributes significantly to the environmental crisis.
- Recognizing the global impact of climate-change, environmental science, industry, and finance must collaborate to develop eco-friendly manufacturing methods, enforce regulations on chemical and plastic runoff, and promote the utilization of renewable energy sources, as these factors play a pivotal role in the degradation of the environment.
- In leaping towards environmental protection, it is pertinent to observe the interconnectivity of environmental protection, science, climate-change, industry, finance, energy, and other aspects of the environment to devise comprehensive long-term strategies that foster sustainable development and preserve the health of natural resources for future generations.