Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama says he will continue to clean up rivers across the capital so that residents can enjoy swimming in them.

Speaking to the press after inspecting the Ciliwung River, the longest river in the capital, whose upstream is in Bogor, West Java, the governor expressed his satisfaction that the river water was getting cleaner.

Kompas.com reported on Wednesday that children are now swimming and playing in the Ciliwung, which is a sign of progress because the rivers in Jakarta have previously been known as dump sites for residents living near the rivers.

Ahok thanked city workers who have been cleaning up rivers in the capital.

“That’s good [that the children can play in the river] as long as there’s no sharp objects there. We also hope that we can clean the Rindam, Kalijodo and Kali Besar Barat rivers so people can swim there,” Ahok said on Wednesday.

Separately, The Jakarta Water Management Agency’s Teguh Hendarwan said his agency would start working to clean up the Kali Duri and Kali Besar Barat rivers soon.

The clean-up project will be funded by Sampoerna Land as compensation for its violation of its building floor coefficient at a development in Jakarta. Currently, the city administration is preparing a memorandum of understanding with Sampoerna for the implementation of the clean-up, Teguh said.

Apart from funding the project, the company will also provide residents with equipment to clean the water. “We hope in June, the clean-up project can kick off,” Teguh told thejakartapost.com on Wednesday.

Previously, Ahok also expressed his ambition to make it possible for rivers across the capital to become sources for tap water companies that currently rely on raw water from Jatiluhur Dam in Cianjur, West Java. (bbn)