Garbage River

Citarum is located in West Java and is the longest river in all of Indonesia.  Forty miles east of Jakarta, this river, over 186 miles long winds across the island of Java. It is a vital resource for the people of West Java, as it is used to support agriculture, water supply, fishery, industry, sewerage, electricity etc.  Unregulated growth of industry in the area allowed for increasing abuse of the river.  Water quality deteriorates dramatically just outside of factories,  where evacuation pipes spew out toxic cocktails turning the river black and cloudy.  Elsewhere, masses of floating trash create a film of junk over the surfaces of the river.  Human waste collects in unsanitaryy pools along the shore, cultivating disease.  In some areas,  waste completely conceals the river.  And if not for the occasional boat navigating through the garbage, it would be difficult to discern the water below. About five million people live in the basin of the river. More than 2000 industries contaminate the river with mercury, lead, arsenic and other toxins.  In 2008, funding (via loan from the Asian Development Bank) to the amount of $500,000 US dollars  was provided to clean up the river. The Asian Development Bank who funded the project apparently to the Citarum River as  the direst river in the world.  In 2011,  river revitalization began.  The expected cost is 4 billion dollars over a 15 year period with a focus on a 111 mile stretch.  Progress has been slow but steady.