The Citarum at Rajamandala

The river

The Citarum is the longest river in West Java, about 297 km from the Mt Wayang area to the Java Sea. Between 25 and 30 million people depend on it for water supply, irrigation, fisheries and industry (figures vary by source).

At Rajamandala the river forms the boundary between Cianjur and West Bandung regencies. The Rajamandala hydropower plant (PLTA Rajamandala, 47 MW, run-of-river, in service since 2019) stands in this stretch, at Cihea village, Haurwangi.

Pollution and the Citarum Harum programme

The river carries industrial wastewater and untreated domestic waste. In 2008 the Asian Development Bank approved a US$500 million loan for clean-up work. In 2018 the Indonesian government started the Citarum Harum programme (Presidential Regulation No. 15/2018), which covers waste management, ecosystem restoration, community work and enforcement along the whole river.

Government statements describe the water quality as improved; reporting from 2025–2026 still describes waste accumulating and enforcement cases against companies. Both are stated here as they stand: the work is not finished.

This stretch and the kingfisher

No published species list exists for kingfishers at Cipeuyeum or the Rajamandala stretch. The foundation’s sightings log is the start of one: records will be published there as they are made and checked, by river sector, without exact nest locations.