But the charm evaporates swiftly as the river, often labelled the world's most polluted, descends past crowded zones of factories and homes that dump a pungent stew of garbage, waste and sewage into its 300-kilometre stretch. Among the river's worst polluters are dozens of textile factories in Majalaya that dump chemical waste, said Arif Havas Oegroseno, a deputy minister who coordinates maritime affairs. Long before it hits the sea on the eastern shores of Jakarta Bay, the river turns into a toxic cocktail the colour of coffee. Children fly kites and play beside piles of floating trash in some parts of the river, but others avoid it as being a mere garbage dump. No monitoring"We found that waste water permits were handed out from year to year, but no one was evaluating the impact on the environment," said Ahmad Ashov, one Greenpeace campaigner.

Source: CBC News March 03, 2018 09:00 UTC