PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG REGENCY - Citarum Harum Task Force Sector 6 again cleaned up trash at the former Citarum diversion (oxbow) Baleendah Water Park, Bandung Regency, Saturday (7/12/2024).

In addition to Sector 6 personnel, the waste cleanup also involved various elements of society, such as mass organizations, Scouts and government agencies, namely the West Java Environmental Service (DLH) and the Bandung Regency DLH.

"Initially we invited 100 people, but thank God, 300 people from various elements came. This shows that the public's enthusiasm to clean our river is quite high," said Sector 6 Commander of the Citarum Harum Task Force, Colonel Inf. Yanto Kusno Hendarto at the location.

According to him, the problem of garbage accumulation in the Citarum oxbow still occurs frequently and often it is garbage from the tributaries of the Citarum River.

"We clean it almost every week because it's always there. This is waste that is sent, especially if the water discharge increases, the faster the waste arrives," said Yanto.

Garbage cleaning is done manually without using heavy equipment such as excavators. This is done considering the limited road access to the location if using heavy equipment.

"Excavators have difficulty getting in here, so we just do it manually. We lift the trash from the river, then we collect it on land using sacks and transport it to the TPS using trucks. We target three hours to complete it," he explained.

To prevent further accumulation of garbage in the river, Yanto hopes that the plan to install garbage traps at several points in the Citarum River can be realized soon.

The Head of Bojongsoang Village, Bandung Regency, Syarul Mulyaman expressed his gratitude to Sector 6 Citarum Harum for helping clean up the garbage in the Citarum oxbow.

"Our area borders Baleendah, so it also has more or less of an impact on our area. If there is a flood, not only water comes in, but also garbage," explained Syarul.

The public is urged to maintain cleanliness, including not throwing garbage into rivers because the impact will be detrimental to oneself and others.