"The most important thing, I appeal to the whole community not to throw garbage into the river. Ciliwung River is our asset that must be protected. I hope that the Ciliwung Rowing Festival can make people aware to keep the river clean," he said here on Sunday.
Hartono welcomed the selection of the Ciliwung River as a place to popularize rowing sports considering that it is a historical witness of the Jakarta city development.
According to him, the river has become a source of raw water for Jakarta residents, so its existence must be preserved and managed in an effort to control floods in the capital.
A clean river will result in many benefits for the people, such as holding sports events and water tourism, the acting governor said.
He lauded PODSI for initiating the 2022 Ciliwung Rowing Festival in order to promote the 2022 Rowing National Championship at Situ Cipule Lake, Karawang, West Java, on December 8-20, 2022.
On the same occasion, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono commented that the rowing festival was aimed to intensify the Ciliwung River clean-up movement.
"We clean Ciliwung River so that the only big river that flows through Jakarta can be used by the community. (Hopefully,) the conservation of Ciliwung can be a benchmark in protecting rivers throughout Indonesia," he said.
The Ciliwung Rowing Festival 2022 was attended by rowing athletes on Sunday morning, with starting line at around the Pasar Rumput apartment, and the finishing line at the BNI City Station pier.
Acting Governor Hartono and Minister Hadimuljono also symbolically dispatched 80 canoes.
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Translator: Ricky P, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
