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Recognizing the importance of clean river water, the Indonesian government began to implement a national clean water program in 1989. It was commonly known as the Prokasih and concentrated on segments of rivers throughout Indonesia. Prokasih has been considered successful because the pollutant concentrations in these segments have decreased. This study examines the Prokasih from the perspective of ordinary people. The study evaluates their perception of the easily observable characteristics of specific segments of three rivers participating. Two important findings emerge from this study. First, people residing close to the three rivers believe that with regard to physical characteristics such as odor, color, mud, turbidity, suds, trash, and flow, the rivers’ condition have worsened even after the implementation of the program. Secondly, the majority of people familiar with Prokasih believe that the Prokasih has not played any positive role in preserving the rivers quality. |
