PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - Acting Governor of West Java Bey Machmudin revealed a number of obstacles related to cleaning up the Citarum River in the Sapan Bridge area, West Bandung Regency.

Garbage piling up at the bottom of the river is one of the obstacles, which makes the process of cleaning the Citarum River take a long time.

"It took a total of 1.5 months for the cleaning process, but the bridge itself was clean in three days. So it was clean under the bridge, but then what was underneath (sediment) rose to the top," said Bey Machmudin in Bandung City, Wednesday (19/6/2024).

"The point is that we continue to work, in fact we will expand our reach further," continued Bey.

After cleaning was carried out by the West Java Provincial Government and the Citarum Harum Task Force, it turned out that piles of rubbish were not only on the surface, but also piled up to the bottom of the river.

"The point is that the cleaning needs to be extended because what is below rises to the top. If it rains (the trash) will be carried away (by currents), if it is dry (the trash) stays still, then rises to the top," he said.

Bey emphasized to all elements to have a strong commitment not to litter and most importantly to sort waste from the house.

"So there must be a strong commitment from all citizens and the government not to litter. Hopefully there will be significant changes," he said.