Indonesian capital Jakarta struggles as climate change disrupts water balance

Water vendors fill the blue plastic jerry cans with tap water from city company pipes in a neighborhood just outside of Muara Angke passenger port, in the coastal municipality of North Jakarta on Aug. 6 . Each can contains up to 20 liters of water to be sold for at least Rp 5,000 (US$ 0.34). - Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA, Aug 28 (Jakarta Post/ANN): Jakartans - especially those living in areas unreached by the city’s pipe network - are still struggling to access clean potable water as scientists predict that climate change will disrupt water balance and a harsher El Niño can potentially spell problems for the city’s water resources.

With Jakarta’s pipe network managed by the city-owned PAM Jaya only covering 64 percent of the city, several areas have to contend with using groundwater and even buy water delivered in blue plastic barrels.