"Those who litter will be fined. An individual fine could be Rp500,000, while a company could be fined Rp50 million," Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated on Wednesday.
The law will be enforced strictly and effectively starting 2014, but the public will be made aware of the plan first.
"Littering triggers floods and we must clean it all. But on the other hand, we will also urge every inhabitant not to litter," Jokowi pointed out.
The Head of Jakartas Cleanliness Service Unu Nurdin said river patrols would be carried out next year to determine who had to be penalized for littering.
"The patrols will involve cleanliness services, city security guards, and soldiers," Unu Nurdin noted.
Campaigns related to anti-littering will be carried out continuously because building public awareness takes time, he added.
"We will not impose the penalty immediately, but it will be done gradually. We will carry out a public awareness campaign so that people stop littering," he said.
Rainfall on Wednesday had flooded 34 locations in the capital city.
In anticipation of possible floods during the ongoing rainy season, Jakarta authorities also conducted clean up operations along the Ciliwung River that passes through the capital city in cooperation with the military on Thursday.
Governor Jokowi commenced the operations from Mall Seasons City in North Jakarta, involving army personnel, garbage service workers and community members.
"It is hoped that this activity will increase public awareness about and the love for cleanliness," he said.
The governor also hoped that after the river was cleaned, residents would stop dumping garbage into the river so that it remained clean and no flooding took place.
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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