PONTIANAK, thekabarnews.com – Pontianak has granted a 30 percent discount to household customers of the city-owned water utility PDAM Tirta Khatulistiwa. This is because prolonged saltwater intrusion continues to disrupt the city’s raw-water supply.

Pontianak Mayor Edi Rusdi Kamtono said on Monday, September 14, that the relief would apply for two months. PDAM will calculate the reduction based on each household’s recorded consumption.

“We will calculate it at the end of each month. September’s usage will be calculated in October, while October’s usage will be calculated in November,” Edi said.

The discount covers household customers rather than all consumer categories.

It aims to reduce the financial burden on residents who have received brackish or otherwise disrupted supplies during the prolonged dry period.

Saltwater intrusion has raised salinity at the Penepat Reservoir, one of the main sources feeding Pontianak’s treatment system.

On September 13, Edi said the reservoir’s salt concentration had exceeded 1,000 milligrams per liter. At the same time, the water had also become turbid.

The conditions forced the municipality to seek lower-salinity sources outside the city, according to Pontianak.go.id.

Alongside the bill reduction, the Pontianak administration and PDAM Tirta Khatulistiwa are strengthening emergency freshwater distribution.

Edi said the operation would supply about 1,000 metric tons—or roughly 1 million liters—per day through urban villages. Water would be supplied through subdistrict offices and public collection points.

Local authorities have asked administrative offices to prepare tanks capable of holding between 4,000 and 5,000 liters. Mosques with suitable storage facilities may also serve as distribution points.

“We will continue updating the distribution points,” Edi said, adding that residents would receive information about the nearest place to collect water.

PDAM Tirta Khatulistiwa processes the distributed water before delivery, but Edi advised residents to boil it before consumption.

“It is suitable for drinking, but people should boil it first,” he said.

Pontianak is also transporting raw water from the Terentang area of neighboring Kubu Raya Regency. Three barges will carry the supply to treatment plants serving Nipah Kuning, Parit Mayor and Selat Panjang.

The emergency response is significant because PDAM Tirta Khatulistiwa supplies about 90.6 percent of Pontianak’s population.

Its total treatment capacity reached 2,358 liters per second after a new 300-liter-per-second facility began operating in Nipah Kuning. This information is according to data published by Pontianak.go.id.

The discount provides short-term relief, while freshwater deliveries support residents who cannot safely rely on the regular network.

Restoring a stable raw-water supply, however, remains essential to returning Pontianak’s water service to normal.