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Dayeuhkolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, Indonesia, West Jawa, 2019 - The Citarum River is about 200 miles long and it is a key source for the textile factories, for hydroelectric power, for irrigate the fields, for personal hygiene and as drinking water.
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Dayeuhkolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, Indonesia, West Jawa, 2019
The Citarum River is about 200 miles long and it is a key source for the textile factories, for hydroelectric power, for irrigate the fields, for personal hygiene and as drinking water.
Bojongsoang village, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Recent research has found an alarming level of toxic substances in the Citarum River, with values ​​1000 times higher than the US standards for water safety. The use of its waters is extremely risky for the lives of the 30 million people.

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Bojongsoang village, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Recent research has found an alarming level of toxic substances in the Citarum River, with values ​​1000 times higher than the US standards for water safety. The use of its waters is extremely risky for the lives of the 30 million people.

Babakan Leuwi Bandung village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - The houses built near the river banks are dominated by the sediments extracted from the “government cleaning operation” and victims of frequent flooding
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Babakan Leuwi Bandung village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

The houses built near the river banks are dominated by the sediments extracted from the “government cleaning operation” and victims of frequent flooding
Babakan Leuwi Bandung village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - The government is not concerned with protecting the houses built along the banks of the river because they are abusive. Today they are submerged by sediments extracted from the bottom of the river.

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Babakan Leuwi Bandung village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
The government is not concerned with protecting the houses built along the banks of the river because they are abusive. Today they are submerged by sediments extracted from the bottom of the river.

Babakan Leuwi Bandung village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - The sediments reached the roofs of the houses and the first two floors of the building were completely submerged. People walking along the river banks, walk up to the roofs.

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Babakan Leuwi Bandung village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
The sediments reached the roofs of the houses and the first two floors of the building were completely submerged. People walking along the river banks, walk up to the roofs.

Sindang Sari village, Baleendah Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Mr. Agus, 49, is a “scavenger", a collector of recyclable material. Every day he sails with his boat along the Citarum River and his job is to find and recover waste for resale. 
His monthly salary is around 1500000 indonesian rupees, just over 100 US dollars.
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Sindang Sari village, Baleendah Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Mr. Agus, 49, is a “scavenger", a collector of recyclable material. Every day he sails with his boat along the Citarum River and his job is to find and recover waste for resale. 
His monthly salary is around 1500000 indonesian rupees, just over 100 US dollars.
Sindang Sari village, Baleendah Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Mr. Iwan, 34, during his work as a “scavenger" collects recyclable material in the Citarum River, near some sewer drains coming from houses along the river bank. 

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Sindang Sari village, Baleendah Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Mr. Iwan, 34, during his work as a “scavenger" collects recyclable material in the Citarum River, near some sewer drains coming from houses along the river bank. 

Sindang Sari village, Baleendah Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - The recyclable materials collected among the waste by scavengers are sold, by weight and divided by type, to a buyer.


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Sindang Sari village, Baleendah Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

The recyclable materials collected among the waste by scavengers are sold, by weight and divided by type, to a buyer.


Sindang Sari village, Baleendah Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Mr. Wawan, 47, buys recyclable waste from around 30 different scavengers every day. 
He owns a pickup and when he collects enough material to fill it, he goes to the recycling companies to resell it. He sells plastic, glass, iron, aluminum, wood, shoes and its monthly salary is around 4000000 rupees, almost 300 US dollars.

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Sindang Sari village, Baleendah Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Mr. Wawan, 47, buys recyclable waste from around 30 different scavengers every day. 
He owns a pickup and when he collects enough material to fill it, he goes to the recycling companies to resell it. He sells plastic, glass, iron, aluminum, wood, shoes and its monthly salary is around 4000000 rupees, almost 300 US dollars.

Sindang Sari village, Baleendah Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Mr. Agus while sailing on the Citarum River. He is married and has two soons: the older is married and he is a scavenger too and the youngest goes to elementary school. The school costs about 20 US dollars a month and when the money is not enough, he asks his buyer for an advance, which he then repays in waste.

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Sindang Sari village, Baleendah Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Mr. Agus while sailing on the Citarum River. He is married and has two soons: the older is married and he is a scavenger too and the youngest goes to elementary school. The school costs about 20 US dollars a month and when the money is not enough, he asks his buyer for an advance, which he then repays in waste.

Babakan Leuwi Bandung village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - some children from the village of Babakan, built on the banks of the Citarum in front of industrial complexes and often subject to flooding, coexist with mountains of waste that they often set on fire for fun or simply to dispose of.
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Babakan Leuwi Bandung village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

some children from the village of Babakan, built on the banks of the Citarum in front of industrial complexes and often subject to flooding, coexist with mountains of waste that they often set on fire for fun or simply to dispose of.
Babakan Leuwi Bandung village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Mr. Suryana, 33, is unemployed and sometimes works as a fisherman, others as a construction worker. He has a son and he built his house 4 years ago - without permission - over the sediments that the 1998 river cleaning operation has put on the banks and that have created a "free land", according to him, that is a land without owner of which he has now appropriated.

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Babakan Leuwi Bandung village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Mr. Suryana, 33, is unemployed and sometimes works as a fisherman, others as a construction worker. He has a son and he built his house 4 years ago - without permission - over the sediments that the 1998 river cleaning operation has put on the banks and that have created a "free land", according to him, that is a land without owner of which he has now appropriated.

Ciwalengke village, Majalaya, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Household waste is regularly burned in small fires outside homes and smoke invades the streets and homes of villages built near the Citarum River. Burning waste, especially plastic, produces highly toxic pollutants such as dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that cause tumors, toxicity of the immune system, liver, skin, mutagenic and embryotoxic action.

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Ciwalengke village, Majalaya, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Household waste is regularly burned in small fires outside homes and smoke invades the streets and homes of villages built near the Citarum River. Burning waste, especially plastic, produces highly toxic pollutants such as dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that cause tumors, toxicity of the immune system, liver, skin, mutagenic and embryotoxic action.

Babakan Leuwi village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - The tobacco industry in Indonesia is a thriving market and despite 30% unemployment, more than 70% of men are smokers and a pack of 12 cigarettes is sold for less than one US dollar.
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Babakan Leuwi village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
The tobacco industry in Indonesia is a thriving market and despite 30% unemployment, more than 70% of men are smokers and a pack of 12 cigarettes is sold for less than one US dollar.
Citapen Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - Some sections of the Citarum River are completely covered with garbage from neighboring countries. The lack of a waste collection service and environmental education have created an  enormous environmental damage that is difficult to remedy in future years.
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Citapen Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
Some sections of the Citarum River are completely covered with garbage from neighboring countries. The lack of a waste collection service and environmental education have created an enormous environmental damage that is difficult to remedy in future years.
Citapen Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - A young fisherman raises a trap with which he fishes along the river citarum. Although the river waters are highly polluted, fishing is widespread, both due to the subsidy and as a profitable activity.
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Citapen Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
A young fisherman raises a trap with which he fishes along the river citarum. Although the river waters are highly polluted, fishing is widespread, both due to the subsidy and as a profitable activity.
Citapen Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - Mr. Bina, a 40-year-old fisherman, is waiting for the right moment to lift the trap that he uses to fish in the Citarum River. He has two fish traps and two bamboo platforms that hold them a few tens of meters apart, he built them himself and uses them to fish every day.

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Citapen Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
Mr. Bina, a 40-year-old fisherman, is waiting for the right moment to lift the trap that he uses to fish in the Citarum River. He has two fish traps and two bamboo platforms that hold them a few tens of meters apart, he built them himself and uses them to fish every day.

Citapen Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - A small fish trap is used by a bamboo platform along the river bank. The garbage that floats on the water of the river, besides being a source of pollution, makes fishing difficult. The fishermen, having no alternative to survival, build floating fences and fish in the garbage.

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Citapen Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
A small fish trap is used by a bamboo platform along the river bank. The garbage that floats on the water of the river, besides being a source of pollution, makes fishing difficult. The fishermen, having no alternative to survival, build floating fences and fish in the garbage.

Citapen Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - Researchers at the Blacksmith Institute have found in the Citarum River levels of lead equal to a thousand times US standards. Also aluminum, manganese and iron are 4 times higher than allowed. The fish, grown in toxic waste and rich in heavy metals, is also full of microplastics: micro-particles that accumulate in the body and cause long-term damage.

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Citapen Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
Researchers at the Blacksmith Institute have found in the Citarum River levels of lead equal to a thousand times US standards. Also aluminum, manganese and iron are 4 times higher than allowed. The fish, grown in toxic waste and rich in heavy metals, is also full of microplastics: micro-particles that accumulate in the body and cause long-term damage.

 Cipatik Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - Some stretches of the Citarum river are completely covered by floating garbage. Floating waste is mostly plastic such as bags, glasses, bottles and polystyrene.
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Cipatik Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
Some stretches of the Citarum river are completely covered by floating garbage. Floating waste is mostly plastic such as bags, glasses, bottles and polystyrene.
Bojongsari,  Bojongsoang District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - A fisherman shows some fish caught in the Citarum River near an industrial drain of a textile industry. Although people know about river pollution, most of them fish to survive and use water to wash and to prepare food.

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Bojongsari, Bojongsoang District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
A fisherman shows some fish caught in the Citarum River near an industrial drain of a textile industry. Although people know about river pollution, most of them fish to survive and use water to wash and to prepare food.

Cipatik Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Just a few minutes away from the village of Cipatik, the Citarum River is almost invisible due to a huge expanse of floating waste. The water depth is also seven meters at the deepest points, but both the river bottom and the surface are completely covered with garbage.

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Cipatik Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Just a few minutes away from the village of Cipatik, the Citarum River is almost invisible due to a huge expanse of floating waste. The water depth is also seven meters at the deepest points, but both the river bottom and the surface are completely covered with garbage.

Citapen Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - Around 10 scavengers work in Citapen area and they are able to collect up to 4 tons of waste a week. Much of the garbage, however, remains to float because it is produced with materials that cannot be recycled and therefore these are not collected.

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Citapen Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
Around 10 scavengers work in Citapen area and they are able to collect up to 4 tons of waste a week. Much of the garbage, however, remains to float because it is produced with materials that cannot be recycled and therefore these are not collected.

Cipatik Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - Packs of chips and snacks, plastic bags and bottles are the majority of the millions of floating waste that cover entire areas of the Citarum River. But in addition to the" visible "waste, the Asian Development Bank report has identified bacteria faecal coliforms from sewage and human agricultural fertilizers 5,000 times the permitted level.
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Cipatik Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
Packs of chips and snacks, plastic bags and bottles are the majority of the millions of floating waste that cover entire areas of the Citarum River. But in addition to the" visible "waste, the Asian Development Bank report has identified bacteria faecal coliforms from sewage and human agricultural fertilizers 5,000 times the permitted level.
Cipatik Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Near the village of Cipatik the course of the Citarum River is completely covered by tons and tons of waste, on the surface and as many on the riverbed, which make motorized sailing impossible and even that of small manual rowing boats difficult.

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Cipatik Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Near the village of Cipatik the course of the Citarum River is completely covered by tons and tons of waste, on the surface and as many on the riverbed, which make motorized sailing impossible and even that of small manual rowing boats difficult.

Cihampelas Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - The sampan is a typical wooden boat, about three meters long, originating from China and South East Asia. It has a fairly flat bottom and it is used for fishing, for small transports and by scavengers to collect recyclable waste for resale.


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Cihampelas Area, Cihampelas District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
The sampan is a typical wooden boat, about three meters long, originating from China and South East Asia. It has a fairly flat bottom and it is used for fishing, for small transports and by scavengers to collect recyclable waste for resale.


Babakan Leuwi village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - The government’s cleaning operation of the Citarum consists essentially in taking the sediments from the bottom of the river with an excavator and positioning them along the banks; forbidding factories from discharging processing residues without purifying them and educating citizens not to throw household waste into the river.
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Babakan Leuwi village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

The government’s cleaning operation of the Citarum consists essentially in taking the sediments from the bottom of the river with an excavator and positioning them along the banks; forbidding factories from discharging processing residues without purifying them and educating citizens not to throw household waste into the river.
Cisanti Lake, Tarumaya Village, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Cisanti Lake has seven springs from which the Citarum River originates. The springs, considered sacred by the population, were secret. The high pollution of the area was a source of disease for the inhabitants but, according to the Indonesian army, after their cleaning operation today its water is clean.

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Cisanti Lake, Tarumaya Village, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Cisanti Lake has seven springs from which the Citarum River originates. The springs, considered sacred by the population, were secret. The high pollution of the area was a source of disease for the inhabitants but, according to the Indonesian army, after their cleaning operation today its water is clean.

Cisanti Lake, Tarumaya Village, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - Colonel Inget Barus is the head of sector 1 in the “Citarum Harum" cleaning operation. The operation consists in the reforestation of the hills surrounding the Cisanti Lake, in the extraction of waste and it has reduced the illegal discharges of toxic waste by textile factories. The industries, however, continue to dump during the night or through hidden channels and there are no real water cleaning projects and its quality continues to be very bad.


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Cisanti Lake, Tarumaya Village, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
Colonel Inget Barus is the head of sector 1 in the “Citarum Harum" cleaning operation. The operation consists in the reforestation of the hills surrounding the Cisanti Lake, in the extraction of waste and it has reduced the illegal discharges of toxic waste by textile factories. The industries, however, continue to dump during the night or through hidden channels and there are no real water cleaning projects and its quality continues to be very bad.


Tarumaya Village, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - The reforestation program of the Army consists in replanting the hills surrounding the Cisanti lake, from which the Citarum River is born, to combat erosion and stimulate the economy by introducing the cultivation of coffee. Terraced cultivation, planting of trees grown in the nursery and teaching of ecological policies are the ambitions of the program.

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Tarumaya Village, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

The reforestation program of the Army consists in replanting the hills surrounding the Cisanti lake, from which the Citarum River is born, to combat erosion and stimulate the economy by introducing the cultivation of coffee. Terraced cultivation, planting of trees grown in the nursery and teaching of ecological policies are the ambitions of the program.

Rancamanyar area, Baleendah Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Colonel Purwadi, head of sector 7, shows the new recycling and composting sites. The sector is 8 miles long, with 15 villages in 4 districts and inhabited by 3 million people. The biggest problem of the sector, says the colonel, are the sediments and the illegal discharges of the 102 textile industries in the sector.


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Rancamanyar area, Baleendah Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Colonel Purwadi, head of sector 7, shows the new recycling and composting sites. The sector is 8 miles long, with 15 villages in 4 districts and inhabited by 3 million people. The biggest problem of the sector, says the colonel, are the sediments and the illegal discharges of the 102 textile industries in the sector.


Babakan Leuwi Bandung village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - The garbage collected in sector 6 is loaded manually and burned in two furnaces without filters. The sector, about 7 miles long, includes 11 villages and there are 9 tributaries from which the waste reaches the Citarum.

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Babakan Leuwi Bandung village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

The garbage collected in sector 6 is loaded manually and burned in two furnaces without filters. The sector, about 7 miles long, includes 11 villages and there are 9 tributaries from which the waste reaches the Citarum.

Oxbow Bojongsoang, Bojongsoang District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Colonel Yuri Zanibar is the head of the sector 6. The cleaning project is currently underway and will last until 2024. For the first 5 months, 200 people worked in 11 teams, then reduced to 80 and each team is composed of both from civilians to military.
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Oxbow Bojongsoang, Bojongsoang District, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Colonel Yuri Zanibar is the head of the sector 6. The cleaning project is currently underway and will last until 2024. For the first 5 months, 200 people worked in 11 teams, then reduced to 80 and each team is composed of both from civilians to military.
Bojongsari,  Bojongsoang District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - The natural course of the Citarum river was modified in 1989 in a single broader straight course. This solved the problem of flooding in other areas but made it worse in Dayeuhkolot Distric. According to the GPP-NKRI the old Citarum should be used, highlighted in blue, to regulate the floods of the river through a weir and avoid flooding.

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Bojongsari, Bojongsoang District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
The natural course of the Citarum river was modified in 1989 in a single broader straight course. This solved the problem of flooding in other areas but made it worse in Dayeuhkolot Distric. According to the GPP-NKRI the old Citarum should be used, highlighted in blue, to regulate the floods of the river through a weir and avoid flooding.

Bojongsari,  Bojongsoang District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - The leader of the local section of the GPP-NKRI (Generasi Pejuang Negara Kesatuan Indonesia), an environmental community also committed to protecting the CItarum river, has the ambition to build a weir to regulate the flow of water during the rainy season and avoid flooding.

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Bojongsari, Bojongsoang District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
The leader of the local section of the GPP-NKRI (Generasi Pejuang Negara Kesatuan Indonesia), an environmental community also committed to protecting the CItarum river, has the ambition to build a weir to regulate the flow of water during the rainy season and avoid flooding.

Dayeuhkolot, Dayeuhkolot District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - A child plays with his kite on a mountain of sediments extracted from the bottom of the Citarum. The slum of the village of Dayeuhkolot, a very poor area near the river, is subject to frequent flooding.

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Dayeuhkolot, Dayeuhkolot District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

A child plays with his kite on a mountain of sediments extracted from the bottom of the Citarum. The slum of the village of Dayeuhkolot, a very poor area near the river, is subject to frequent flooding.

Dayeuhkolot, Dayeuhkolot District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - An inhabitant of the slum in the village of Dayeuhkolot, shows his home, victim of constant flooding. The signs on the wall highlight the level reached by the water that often exceeded two meters.
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Dayeuhkolot, Dayeuhkolot District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

An inhabitant of the slum in the village of Dayeuhkolot, shows his home, victim of constant flooding. The signs on the wall highlight the level reached by the water that often exceeded two meters.
Dayeuhkolot, Dayeuhkolot District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - The garbage from the Dayeuhkolot slum is regularly burned in a hole adjacent to the village. Without any differentiation and any kind of filter, the carcinogenic smoke full of dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons envelops roads and houses.

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Dayeuhkolot, Dayeuhkolot District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
The garbage from the Dayeuhkolot slum is regularly burned in a hole adjacent to the village. Without any differentiation and any kind of filter, the carcinogenic smoke full of dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons envelops roads and houses.

Majalaya, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - In the industrial area of ​​Majalaya, the cultivated fields are a few meters from the industries, mostly textile factories. Despite the recent bans on draining without purification, both homes and factories continue to discharge their waste into the irrigation channels.


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Majalaya, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

In the industrial area of ​​Majalaya, the cultivated fields are a few meters from the industries, mostly textile factories. Despite the recent bans on draining without purification, both homes and factories continue to discharge their waste into the irrigation channels.


Bojongsari,  Bojongsoang District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - A textile factory discharges the sewage from the waste from the production process without permission and in full daylight. The pipes are hidden under the road and discharge a dark and frothy liquid that plunges directly into the Citarum River.

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Bojongsari, Bojongsoang District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

A textile factory discharges the sewage from the waste from the production process without permission and in full daylight. The pipes are hidden under the road and discharge a dark and frothy liquid that plunges directly into the Citarum River.

Cikuya Area, Margaasih District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - A farmer is immersed in the water he uses to irrigate his crops. The water comes from the drainage ducts of the houses of the nearby village and is full of detergents and soaps. At the end of the terraces cultivated behind him, the water reaches the Citarum River.
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Cikuya Area, Margaasih District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

A farmer is immersed in the water he uses to irrigate his crops. The water comes from the drainage ducts of the houses of the nearby village and is full of detergents and soaps. At the end of the terraces cultivated behind him, the water reaches the Citarum River.
Cikuya Area, Margaasih District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - A farmer uses the water from the drains of the nearby city to irrigate his field. The water is channeled by the river, where the houses of the opposite city unload the waste and through a system of pipes arrives to the downstream.

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Cikuya Area, Margaasih District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

A farmer uses the water from the drains of the nearby city to irrigate his field. The water is channeled by the river, where the houses of the opposite city unload the waste and through a system of pipes arrives to the downstream.

 Cikuya Area, Margaasih District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - The polluted water that coming from the nearby city, full of detergents and industrial waste, passes through the cultivated terraces and reaches the Citarum River through a system of pipes.


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Cikuya Area, Margaasih District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
The polluted water that coming from the nearby city, full of detergents and industrial waste, passes through the cultivated terraces and reaches the Citarum River through a system of pipes.


Cikuya Area, Margaasih District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - The last terrace cultivated before the Citarum River uses polluted water, full of industrial and domestic waste, coming from a nearby town which, step by step, it has also been enriched by pesticides and chemical fertilizers used by other farmers who have the higher crops.

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Cikuya Area, Margaasih District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
The last terrace cultivated before the Citarum River uses polluted water, full of industrial and domestic waste, coming from a nearby town which, step by step, it has also been enriched by pesticides and chemical fertilizers used by other farmers who have the higher crops.

Cikuya Area, Margaasih District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - Values ​​that exceed hundreds of times the limit allowed for human health and an imposing presence of intestinal enterococci, faecal coliform bacteria and escherichia coli; but also chemical detergents, microplastic particles, lead, mercury, arsenic, and other toxins into the water intended for field irrigation.

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Cikuya Area, Margaasih District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

Values ​​that exceed hundreds of times the limit allowed for human health and an imposing presence of intestinal enterococci, faecal coliform bacteria and escherichia coli; but also chemical detergents, microplastic particles, lead, mercury, arsenic, and other toxins into the water intended for field irrigation.

Sukamaju village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - The production process of textile industries, from production to dyeing, requires enormous quantities of water. In the Majalaya area, hundreds of coal-fired textile factories use all the water available which, once discharged, is used by farmers to irrigate the cultivated fields.

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Sukamaju village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

The production process of textile industries, from production to dyeing, requires enormous quantities of water. In the Majalaya area, hundreds of coal-fired textile factories use all the water available which, once discharged, is used by farmers to irrigate the cultivated fields.

Rancamanyar Area, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - The river water, used by the industries of the area and for irrigation, leaves the river almost dry. The bottom is covered with rubbish and sediment, the flowing water is almost black and the mud, in its interior, is completely black due to the decomposition of the garbage and the toxic waste discharged by the textile factories.

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Rancamanyar Area, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
The river water, used by the industries of the area and for irrigation, leaves the river almost dry. The bottom is covered with rubbish and sediment, the flowing water is almost black and the mud, in its interior, is completely black due to the decomposition of the garbage and the toxic waste discharged by the textile factories.

Sukamaju village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - The textile industries use all the water available in the area, directly diverting the course of rivers and tributaries, within their perimeter. The people of the surrounding villages, without water, are forced to line up outside the walls of the factory and fill the barrels with waste water from the factory. Each family can take two kegs a day.

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Sukamaju village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

The textile industries use all the water available in the area, directly diverting the course of rivers and tributaries, within their perimeter. The people of the surrounding villages, without water, are forced to line up outside the walls of the factory and fill the barrels with waste water from the factory. Each family can take two kegs a day.

Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - In the Ciwalengke village, the inhabitants do not have a bathroom in the house and to wash themselves use the common one. The water that is taken from the well is the only one available and it is the waste water of textile industries, agriculture and the nearby city.

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Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
In the Ciwalengke village, the inhabitants do not have a bathroom in the house and to wash themselves use the common one. The water that is taken from the well is the only one available and it is the waste water of textile industries, agriculture and the nearby city.

Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - Waste water from the textile factories and from the city reaches Ciwalengke village. After passing through the drains and canals between the dwellings, it reaches a large tank, where the inhabitants wash clothes, dishes and take water for personal hygiene.

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Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

Waste water from the textile factories and from the city reaches Ciwalengke village. After passing through the drains and canals between the dwellings, it reaches a large tank, where the inhabitants wash clothes, dishes and take water for personal hygiene.

Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - The water from the well, wastewater from textile factories and household waste from the nearby city, is partially filtered in a bin full of rags. Water, full of heavy metals and fecal bacteria, causes dermatitis, digestive tract infections and developmental delays.


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Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
The water from the well, wastewater from textile factories and household waste from the nearby city, is partially filtered in a bin full of rags. Water, full of heavy metals and fecal bacteria, causes dermatitis, digestive tract infections and developmental delays.


Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - The well is not filled by spring water from the aquifer, but it is a cistern that is filled through polluted water coming from the industrial and domestic discharges of the nearby industrial area of ​​Majalya and represents one of the few water sources from which the whole village depends.

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Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

The well is not filled by spring water from the aquifer, but it is a cistern that is filled through polluted water coming from the industrial and domestic discharges of the nearby industrial area of ​​Majalya and represents one of the few water sources from which the whole village depends.

Sukamaju village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - The village of Sukamaju uses waste water from the nearby textile factory for personal hygiene and food preparation. Many suffer from dermatitis and diseases of the gastro-intestinal tract due to the use of heavily polluted water.
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Sukamaju village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

The village of Sukamaju uses waste water from the nearby textile factory for personal hygiene and food preparation. Many suffer from dermatitis and diseases of the gastro-intestinal tract due to the use of heavily polluted water.
Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - The water from the wells of the village of Ciwalengke comes from the irrigation canals of the cultivated fields and from the drains of the nearby textile factories. Highly polluted, the water can change its color which can be yellow, blue, red, gray or black depending on the industrial process.
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Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
The water from the wells of the village of Ciwalengke comes from the irrigation canals of the cultivated fields and from the drains of the nearby textile factories. Highly polluted, the water can change its color which can be yellow, blue, red, gray or black depending on the industrial process.
Sukamaju village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - The use of polluted water for washing, feeding on food grown with contaminated water or eating meat from animals raised in highly polluted territories creates an accumulation of heavy metals and toxins in the body that often generate autoimmune reactions such as dermatitis. Children are among the most affected and there are often cases of food shortages and developmental delays.

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Sukamaju village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

The use of polluted water for washing, feeding on food grown with contaminated water or eating meat from animals raised in highly polluted territories creates an accumulation of heavy metals and toxins in the body that often generate autoimmune reactions such as dermatitis. Children are among the most affected and there are often cases of food shortages and developmental delays.

Rancamanyar Area, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - Mr. Oha, 70, has his whole body covered with dermatitis. He lives a few meters from the Citarum River and for 36 years collect the grass by the river to feed the goats. He is on therapy and is using a cortisone cream and has been under treatment for 3 years. He has been visited 25 times by 8 different doctors, but unable to move away from the river he cannot heal.

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Rancamanyar Area, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
Mr. Oha, 70, has his whole body covered with dermatitis. He lives a few meters from the Citarum River and for 36 years collect the grass by the river to feed the goats. He is on therapy and is using a cortisone cream and has been under treatment for 3 years. He has been visited 25 times by 8 different doctors, but unable to move away from the river he cannot heal.

Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - Mrs. Halimah, 47, has three children and she has been a widow for 4 years. Her husband, after suffering from years of dermatitis, died at the age of 46, killed by tuberculosis. She is very weak and emaciated and with the strong pollution and her state of malnutrition suffers from chronic bronchitis. The doctor told her not to use the river water and the products derived from them for years, but having no alternative, she can not change lifestyle.

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Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

Mrs. Halimah, 47, has three children and she has been a widow for 4 years. Her husband, after suffering from years of dermatitis, died at the age of 46, killed by tuberculosis. She is very weak and emaciated and with the strong pollution and her state of malnutrition suffers from chronic bronchitis. The doctor told her not to use the river water and the products derived from them for years, but having no alternative, she can not change lifestyle.

Dayeuhkolot, Dayeuhkolot District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - The water extracted from the drains of the city of Dayeuhkolot is used by the inhabitants of the slum to wash and make food. At least one in four people complains of dermatitis and problems with the gastric system. For now we only know the short-term effects of pollution, for others we will have to wait.

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Dayeuhkolot, Dayeuhkolot District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
The water extracted from the drains of the city of Dayeuhkolot is used by the inhabitants of the slum to wash and make food. At least one in four people complains of dermatitis and problems with the gastric system. For now we only know the short-term effects of pollution, for others we will have to wait.

Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - A child plays along one of the drains between a large textile factory and the village of Ciwalengke. The factories use large quantities of water in their production processes and release tons of toxic waste into the waters of drains that discharge into the earth or directly in the rivers.


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Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
A child plays along one of the drains between a large textile factory and the village of Ciwalengke. The factories use large quantities of water in their production processes and release tons of toxic waste into the waters of drains that discharge into the earth or directly in the rivers.


Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - Children who grow up in villages and slums near industrial areas are exposed to many more diseases and growth disorders than children growing up in cities. The 2000 industries in Bandung Regency, mostly textiles, use coal as fuel and pollute both air and water.

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Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

Children who grow up in villages and slums near industrial areas are exposed to many more diseases and growth disorders than children growing up in cities. The 2000 industries in Bandung Regency, mostly textiles, use coal as fuel and pollute both air and water.

Bandung City, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - The processing of fabrics for the local market takes place in small companies and laboratories located in the same region of production. Workers, sometimes even minors, also work in apartments, basements and warehouses used as dressmakers.

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Bandung City, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
The processing of fabrics for the local market takes place in small companies and laboratories located in the same region of production. Workers, sometimes even minors, also work in apartments, basements and warehouses used as dressmakers.

Bandung City, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - The packaging of textile products made for the internal market is often carried out without respecting any form of safety at work. Workers, mostly women and sometimes minors, package their clothes in small apartments or warehouses.

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Bandung City, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

The packaging of textile products made for the internal market is often carried out without respecting any form of safety at work. Workers, mostly women and sometimes minors, package their clothes in small apartments or warehouses.

Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - A textile merchant sits on a pile of cloth with which school uniforms will be made. The majority of fabrics manufactured by the hundreds of textile factories located between Bandung and Jakarta, on the other hand, are produced and sold to eastern multinationals that work and package the products to resell them in the West.


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Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

A textile merchant sits on a pile of cloth with which school uniforms will be made. The majority of fabrics manufactured by the hundreds of textile factories located between Bandung and Jakarta, on the other hand, are produced and sold to eastern multinationals that work and package the products to resell them in the West.


Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - A young girl from the village of Ciwalengke in the evening, on her doorstep. For girls who grow up in the villages of the poorest industrial areas, where there is a high rate of early school leaving, a deep-rooted and archaic rural culture, a 50% unemployment rate and a great social immobility; the prospect of improving one's own condition of life is a sadly remote possibility.
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Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

A young girl from the village of Ciwalengke in the evening, on her doorstep. For girls who grow up in the villages of the poorest industrial areas, where there is a high rate of early school leaving, a deep-rooted and archaic rural culture, a 50% unemployment rate and a great social immobility; the prospect of improving one's own condition of life is a sadly remote possibility.
Cihampelas, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - Undifferentiated urban waste is often burned out of the home, regardless of the consequences that this harmful disposal system entails.
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Cihampelas, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
Undifferentiated urban waste is often burned out of the home, regardless of the consequences that this harmful disposal system entails.
Baleendah, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - Husband and wife in their tiny house, of about 4 square meters, a few steps from the Citarum River. Their previous home was swept away by the last great flood and they are too poor to buy a new one and too old and powerless to build an abusive one.

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Baleendah, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
Husband and wife in their tiny house, of about 4 square meters, a few steps from the Citarum River. Their previous home was swept away by the last great flood and they are too poor to buy a new one and too old and powerless to build an abusive one.

Baleendah, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - In the slum of Baleendah, built near the old iron bridge over the Citarum River and now replaced by a more recent one, there was a blackout. People use mobile phones to get light and continue to do normal evening activities.
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Baleendah, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

In the slum of Baleendah, built near the old iron bridge over the Citarum River and now replaced by a more recent one, there was a blackout. People use mobile phones to get light and continue to do normal evening activities.
Baleendah, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - In the concrete clearing between the road, the Citarum River and the village of Baleendah, some young people of the slum spend the evening having fun with their skateboard.

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Baleendah, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

In the concrete clearing between the road, the Citarum River and the village of Baleendah, some young people of the slum spend the evening having fun with their skateboard.

Baleendah, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019 - In the slum of Baleendah, a succession of narrow alleys beyond an old iron bridge over the Citarum River, there was a blackout and the inhabitants use their cell phones to shed some light. The village is located right next to the river and a municipal water supply used both by the village itself and by a large textile industry located about 100 meters away.

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Baleendah, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
In the slum of Baleendah, a succession of narrow alleys beyond an old iron bridge over the Citarum River, there was a blackout and the inhabitants use their cell phones to shed some light. The village is located right next to the river and a municipal water supply used both by the village itself and by a large textile industry located about 100 meters away.

Babakan Leuwi village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District / Baleendah, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - The village of Babakan Leuwi and its most recent houses illegally built on sediments deposited during the last cleaning, is located directly on the Citarum river in front of a large industrial sector and a municipal water reserve. The inhabitants, without running water and sewage system, use the polluted water of the river as a water source and also to discharge the sewage.

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Babakan Leuwi village, Dayeuh Kolot Sub-District / Baleendah, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

The village of Babakan Leuwi and its most recent houses illegally built on sediments deposited during the last cleaning, is located directly on the Citarum river in front of a large industrial sector and a municipal water reserve. The inhabitants, without running water and sewage system, use the polluted water of the river as a water source and also to discharge the sewage.

Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Elingan community and Badega Lingkungan are two environmentalist associations that, among the projects of environmental protection, are also involved in patrolling the whole industrial area between Bandung and Majalaya to discover industrial wasteful dumping.

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Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Elingan community and Badega Lingkungan are two environmentalist associations that, among the projects of environmental protection, are also involved in patrolling the whole industrial area between Bandung and Majalaya to discover industrial wasteful dumping.

Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - The environmental activists of Elingan and Badega Lingkungan during a night patrol discover a drain pipe of a textile factory that, according to the new law on the protection of the Citarum, should not unload and they take a sample of them to analyze it.


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Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

The environmental activists of Elingan and Badega Lingkungan during a night patrol discover a drain pipe of a textile factory that, according to the new law on the protection of the Citarum, should not unload and they take a sample of them to analyze it.


Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - In the industrial area of ​​Majalya, along the course of a canal in a hidden and inaccessible area, a textile factory is discharging the waste water from the production process directly into the river.
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Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

In the industrial area of ​​Majalya, along the course of a canal in a hidden and inaccessible area, a textile factory is discharging the waste water from the production process directly into the river.
Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Mr. Alit, an environmental activist from Badega Lingkungan, during a project “Citarum water patrol” is patrolling a canal in the industrial area to find any hidden discharges. The highly polluted water in which it walks, cloudy and very dark, prevents good vision and causes even after a first contact, itching and rashes.

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Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Mr. Alit, an environmental activist from Badega Lingkungan, during a project “Citarum water patrol” is patrolling a canal in the industrial area to find any hidden discharges. The highly polluted water in which it walks, cloudy and very dark, prevents good vision and causes even after a first contact, itching and rashes.

Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - The environmental activists of Badega Lingkungan and Elingan Community, after having taken a water sample from an abusive unloading of a textile factory near Majalaya, analyze the pH and they photograph as testimony the test result that it shows a more acidic level than normal .

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Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
The environmental activists of Badega Lingkungan and Elingan Community, after having taken a water sample from an abusive unloading of a textile factory near Majalaya, analyze the pH and they photograph as testimony the test result that it shows a more acidic level than normal .

Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Activists from environmental associations patrol the industrial areas of the city of Majalaya in search of illegal dumping of textile industries at night. With the aid of powerful torches they control the perimeters of the factories and, when they find discharges in operation, they photograph and survey the discovery and take samples to be analyzed.

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Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Activists from environmental associations patrol the industrial areas of the city of Majalaya in search of illegal dumping of textile industries at night. With the aid of powerful torches they control the perimeters of the factories and, when they find discharges in operation, they photograph and survey the discovery and take samples to be analyzed.

Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - Alit, an environmental activist from Badega Lingkungan, after collecting a sample from the exhaust pipe of a textile factory in the Majalya area, passes the bottle to perform a quality control of the water.
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Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

Alit, an environmental activist from Badega Lingkungan, after collecting a sample from the exhaust pipe of a textile factory in the Majalya area, passes the bottle to perform a quality control of the water.
Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - A water sample it was taken near industrial exhaust pipes. The polluted water of the river is cloudy and yellowish, with greyish veins and brown deposits on the bottom of the bottle. The ph, controlled with litmus paper, is strongly acid.

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Majalaya Area, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
A water sample it was taken near industrial exhaust pipes. The polluted water of the river is cloudy and yellowish, with greyish veins and brown deposits on the bottom of the bottle. The ph, controlled with litmus paper, is strongly acid.

Majalaya, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019 - Deni Riswandani, leader and founder of ELINGAN (Element Lingkungan), a local community of environmentalists who protect the Citarum River. He, while telling of the frequent threats suffered due to the complaints he protrudes against the industries of the area that discharge toxic waste in the Citarum, shows the scarring of some wounds that a few years ago they dealt with a knife on his arm during an intimidating act.

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Majalaya, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
Deni Riswandani, leader and founder of ELINGAN (Element Lingkungan), a local community of environmentalists who protect the Citarum River. He, while telling of the frequent threats suffered due to the complaints he protrudes against the industries of the area that discharge toxic waste in the Citarum, shows the scarring of some wounds that a few years ago they dealt with a knife on his arm during an intimidating act.

Cihampelas, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - A recycling lesson, in the Bening Saguling Green Community, teaches children to recognize recyclable plastic and to properly differentiate waste. Environmental education is the only way to prevent the current environmental disaster can become irreparable.

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Cihampelas, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

A recycling lesson, in the Bening Saguling Green Community, teaches children to recognize recyclable plastic and to properly differentiate waste. Environmental education is the only way to prevent the current environmental disaster can become irreparable.

Cihampelas, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - During a recycling lab at the Bening Saguling Green Community, some girls who attend the summer camp remove the non-recyclable label from the plastic of the recyclable bottle. Among the Green Community projects also environmental education, hydroponic cultivation, waste differentiation, the concept of reuse.


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Cihampelas, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

During a recycling lab at the Bening Saguling Green Community, some girls who attend the summer camp remove the non-recyclable label from the plastic of the recyclable bottle. Among the Green Community projects also environmental education, hydroponic cultivation, waste differentiation, the concept of reuse.


Cihampelas, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - Next to the mosque of the village, a few meters from the Bening Saguling Green Community, bags filled with recyclable plastic are crammed in a corner of the square.

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Cihampelas, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

Next to the mosque of the village, a few meters from the Bening Saguling Green Community, bags filled with recyclable plastic are crammed in a corner of the square.

Cihampelas, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - A girl from the summer camp of the Bening Saguling Green Community, practices the reading of the Koran on the banks of the Citarum River. Indonesia is the largest Muslim democracy in the world with over 250 million inhabitants scattered around 17,000 islands.

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Cihampelas, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

A girl from the summer camp of the Bening Saguling Green Community, practices the reading of the Koran on the banks of the Citarum River. Indonesia is the largest Muslim democracy in the world with over 250 million inhabitants scattered around 17,000 islands.

Tarumaya Village, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019
 - A child, looking out to the window, looks into the small mosque in the village of Tarumaya during the prayer. The village, since the reforestation program began in 2018, it is regularly visited by soldiers stationed at the local base who go to the village for to purchases and to pray at the mosque.

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Tarumaya Village, Bandung Regency, West Jawa, Indonesia, 2019

A child, looking out to the window, looks into the small mosque in the village of Tarumaya during the prayer. The village, since the reforestation program began in 2018, it is regularly visited by soldiers stationed at the local base who go to the village for to purchases and to pray at the mosque.

Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - A young girl walks with her younger sister through the alleys of the village of Ciwalengke, close to the industrial area of ​​Majalya and the Citarum River. The area is one of the poorest in the city, the houses are devoid of bathrooms and sometimes of electricity and the only water available comes from the nearby factories or from the city sewers.


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Ciwalengke village, Majalaya District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

A young girl walks with her younger sister through the alleys of the village of Ciwalengke, close to the industrial area of ​​Majalya and the Citarum River. The area is one of the poorest in the city, the houses are devoid of bathrooms and sometimes of electricity and the only water available comes from the nearby factories or from the city sewers.


Cihampelas, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019
 - A cemetery a few meters from the Citarum River, in the middle of an orchard. Some researches, say environmentalists, estimate that at least 50,000 deaths a year are caused by the very bad  environmental conditions in which is the area adjacent to the Citarum river. Furthermore, the average life expectancy does not exceed 60 years of age.


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Cihampelas, Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 2019

A cemetery a few meters from the Citarum River, in the middle of an orchard. Some researches, say environmentalists, estimate that at least 50,000 deaths a year are caused by the very bad environmental conditions in which is the area adjacent to the Citarum river. Furthermore, the average life expectancy does not exceed 60 years of age.



FULL SET - To live and die along the Citarum: the most polluted river in the world

Nicknamed “the most polluted river in the world” by the World Bank, the Citarum with its almost 200 miles is the most important river in West Java, Indonesia. 

Although its water is dark, dense and cloudy, it is the primary source of water for about 30 million people living in the area between Jakarta, the Indonesian capital and Bandung, the heart of the country's industrial area. 
In the last 50 years a very bad management of trash and domestic waste and the lack of control over the discharges of the companies along the river have created a real environmental disaster. 

A report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has documented an extensive pollution and identified faecal coliform bacteria, probably derived from human agricultural sewage and fertilizers, up to 5,000 times the permitted level. About 9 million people, in fact, who live in rural areas and in small villages in close contact with the river, have always discharged the sewage of their homes into the river and, having no place to throw away the rubbish correctly, they have always burned or thrown into the river. 

But the most alarming figure comes from a study conducted by the Blacksmith Institute that found lead levels above 1,000 times the USEPA drinking water standard and levels well above the international average of other heavy metals like aluminum, iron and manganese. 

This is because in the area there are over 2000 companies - mostly textile factories built near the river because they need large quantities of water for their production - which in recent years have been left to discharge enormous quantities of chemical waste directly into the river.

Mountains of sediments, extracted from the bottom of the River, are piled on the banks and highlight the borders of the Citarum. There are thousands of them living on these new nobody's lands, on the portions of land and waste that have created new uninhabited areas on the banks of the river. Unemployed young people, families displaced by the frequent and disastrous floods or scavengers, the very poor waste collectors who survive by selling recyclable garbage: these are the majority of the slum dwellers near the polluted industrial areas near the river and the lands, of sediments and waste, along the banks of the Citarum.

In several of them, forced to survive in one of the most polluted areas of the world, they suffer from dermatitis, contact rashes, intestinal problems; but also delays in child development, renal failure, chronic bronchitis and a significant incidence of tumors.

The luckiest use waste water from the local industries, which draw water directly from the river or aquifers even at a depth of 150 meters and, after partially purifying it, make it available for neighboring villages. 

The others use waste and contaminated water from other villages, or directly from Citarum, to wash themselves and their clothes or to drink water and to prepare food. Also through the cultivation - mostly of rice, which are irrigated with contaminated water coming from factories and villages or from the Citarum river and its tributaries - elements harmful to the human body are daily ingested by the inhabitants of West Java and their animals who once consumed, they become part of the food chain. 

Even the catch, contaminated and rich in heavy metals and microplastics, is sold and consumed in the areas adjacent to the river as on the tables of Jakarta and fishing in fact, although the fish species have decreased by 60% since 2008, it is still widely practiced throughout the river. 

The Indonesian government, after countless complaints about the state of the river water including international bodies such as Greenpeace, it has allocated a seven-year cleaning program for the Citarum, with the ambitious final goal of making Citarum's water drinkable by 2025.

The program is also supported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) which in 2009 had already committed to providing $ 500 million to finance the rehabilitation of the Citarum. The impressive cleaning operation consists in combating the erosion of the surrounding mountains through reforestation; to extract waste and sediments from the bottom and on the surface of the river with large excavators and to unload them on the banks of the river; to foribid factories from discharging wastewater from production processes until after filtration and purification and environmental education projects.
According to the environmental activists of the local NGOs, despite the bans many factories continue undisturbed to discharge their waste thanks to hidden drain pipes and that sometimes, even if discovered, are not obstructed due to the strong corruption that is rampant in the country. 

However recent environmental awareness campaigns are underway by the government and some environmental groups and a new wind seems to be blowing in Indonesia.

But at least for now, every day along the area of ​​the Citarum River, millions of people are still poisoned by coal-fired textile factories and by dumps of burnt waste without filters that release incredible amounts of dioxin and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the air; from the water of a river that in the past crossed an environment considered a paradise of nature and that now, according to the environmental activists, it kills at least 50,000 people a year due to diseases caused by incredible pollution.
To walk therefore, today, on the mountains of rubbish abandoned along the Citarum through the thick banks of poisonous smoke or to sail aboard the small boats of the scafangers in floating dumps; certainly it makes you feel more than in a paradise, in a damned hell: son of selfishness and short-sighted ignorance of men.
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