Enviro News, Depok – The Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency, in collaboration with PT Pertamina (Persero), successfully hosted the 2024 Ciliwung Festival. The event, held as part of World Environment Day celebrations, started on June 5, 2024, with its peak activities on December 19, 2024, involving around 1,200 participants from various backgrounds.
The 2024 Ciliwung Festival served as a cross-sectoral collaboration platform to care for the Ciliwung River, a strategic national ecosystem icon and a vital resource for surrounding communities. Various activities were carried out during this event.
One of the main activities was the Arung Edukasi Sungai (River Educational Rafting), which included collecting trash along the Ciliwung River. This effort successfully removed 30,774 kilograms of waste from the river. Other activities, such as creative recycling workshops, also drew significant public interest. These workshops taught the community, especially the younger generation, how to transform waste into economically valuable products.
Reforestation efforts also became a primary focus. A total of 200 trees, including merbau, manglid, and mahogany, were planted across one hectare at the Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) campus. These trees were chosen for their ability to absorb pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur oxides (SOx), and nitrogen oxides (NOx), improving air quality in the Ciliwung River Basin (DAS).
The Minister of Environment/Head of the Environmental Control Agency, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, highlighted the urgent environmental challenges facing Jakarta, particularly due to groundwater exploitation and high levels of river pollution. “We face an unfavorable reality. Rising tidal floods reflect sea-level rise and groundwater depletion,” said Hanif. With Jakarta’s 11.4 million residents largely dependent on groundwater, massive exploitation continues to threaten environmental stability and urban life.
The Ciliwung River remains a key focus in environmental restoration efforts. Spanning 193 km from Bogor to Jakarta, the river is divided into six segments, all suffering from severe pollution. “Every day, the Ciliwung River is burdened with an average of 53 tons of waste, including domestic garbage, livestock waste, and industrial pollutants,” Hanif revealed. Of the 38,000 hectares of the Ciliwung River Basin, nearly 70% has been converted into settlements, while only 24% remains forested in the upstream areas. This condition exacerbates water management issues, which can only be addressed through tree coverage.
Ahmad Siddik Baddrudin, Director of Risk Management at PT Pertamina (Persero), emphasized the importance of preserving rivers to support the sustainability of the company’s operations. He expressed this during his response to the government’s call for collaboration in environmental conservation, particularly water resources. “We fully support activities related to river preservation. In all Pertamina Group operational assets—upstream sectors like oil drilling, refineries, and others—water, especially from rivers, is a vital element in our operations,” said Ahmad.
The festival concluded with awards presented to winners of the Ecobrick and Environmental Cleanliness Competitions for communities around the Ciliwung River. These competitions were collaborations between SH Upstream, SH Power, New & Renewable Energy, the Ministry of Environment/BPLH, the Sahabat Ciliwung Foundation, and Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII).
(*)
