In the not so distant past, the first thing that would come to most people’s minds at the mention of Jakarta’s Ciliwung River was its notoriously filthy waters filled with trash of all kinds, from food wrappers to a used mattress (seriously).
But now the Ciliwung River – as well as many of Jakarta’s other waterways – are relatively clean thanks to the tireless work of the Pasukan Oranye (Orange Troops), members of the city’s Sanitation Department workforce tasked with doing the literally dirty work of cleaning up the capital’s rivers.
Clean rivers contribute to thriving ecosystems, and this Lenteng Agung citizen seems to really appreciate Ciliwung’s revitalized state.
The post, which went viral recently, shows the unnamed Jakartan catching two Nile tilapia fish using nothing but his bare hands. Netizens commented on the post saying how they appreciate that there are fish aplenty in Ciliwung once more, while some of the older commenters noted that the photos took them back to their younger days when fishing in Ciliwung did not pose a hazard to one’s health.
Yogi Ikhwan, head of Jakarta Sanitation Agency’s Public Relations Department, said that Ciliwung is home to many species of fish, but that fish population in the river rose sharply since the Orange Troops began cleaning up the river a few months ago.
“There’s gourami, snakehead murrels, catfish, plecos, climbing perches, Mozambique tilapia,” he said, as quoted by Kompas today.
Perhaps we no longer have to go to privately-run fishing ponds to catch fish in Jakarta. Beware of huge snakes swimming in the river, though.
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