Part of ICWRMIP’s first phase is the rehabilitation of West Tarum Canal, an artificial waterway that diverts Citarum water for industrial use and drinking supply of Jakarta households, which runs through West Java. The rehabilitation project will displace 872 households and negatively impact others particularly in the three districts crossed by WTC: Kabupaten Karawang, Kabupaten Bekasi and Kota Bekasi. Yet, the Aliansi Rakyat untuk Citarum (ARUM) or Peoples Alliance for Citarum, a growing network of West Java and Jakarta civil society who reviewed the Resettlement Plan and monitored the Program preparation found serious flaws relative to compliance with the ADB’s Involuntary Resettlement Policy and other applicable policies.
The Project has an environmental category B and resettlement category A, which means it will have significant social and environmental impacts. Transparency and governance gaps were also identified – which formed as grounds for an informed engagement of local and national support groups and the affected communities to influence the process, content and decision on the program.
ARUM called on the ADB Board of Directors to pull out from investing into the ICWRMIP unless a significant, meaningful, strongly and broadly supported re-assessment of the entire program is undertaken.