People caught throwing garbage into Jakarta’s rivers will be publicly shamed by having their photos displayed in a banner, says Jakarta Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat.
“I have instructed the environmental agency to accelerate the sting operation on haphazard garbage dumping. If they catch someone throwing garbage into a river, they must take a picture of the person and put it on an installed banner,” he said, as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
Jakarta’s rivers are known for always being clogged, dirty and polluted, due to the habit of throwing garbage, plastic bags and other waste into rivers.
Djarot said the banners carrying photos of the people caught polluting the river will be installed in the respective residential area to expose bad habits and impose a social sanction, which is expected to have a deterrent effect.
This policy is part of a long-standing effort, initiated by former Jakarta Governor Basuki ‘Ahok’ Tjahaja Purnama, to clean up the city’s rivers.
The city administration has hired over 4,000 contract workers over the last two years to clean up the city’s rivers and canals, paying them the city’s minimum monthly wage of Rp.3.1 million (US$234), health insurance, transportation and housing facilities.
“We should feel pity for our contract cleaners who work in rivers from the morning to clear them of garbage,” Djarot added.
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