The Jakarta Environmental Agency is following up on the discovery of foam appearing in the Sunter River flow, North Jakarta.

Based on the field verification results on August 19, 2025, the foam was originated from Ria Rio Lake, Pulomas, East Jakarta.

Jakarta Environment Agency Head, Asep Kuswanto said, the initial examination results showed that the water quality of Ria Rio Lake was already contaminated by organic content and surfactants.

This foam phenomenon occurred when the pump was activated at the Pulomas Polder Pump House 1 (Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta), and Pulomas 2 (Kayu Putih, East Jakarta).

"At that time, the lake water was being drained to anticipate heavy rain. The high water flow triggered turbulence, causing foam to overflow into Sunter River," he expressed, Friday (8/22).

His agency was preparing two main steps for short-term handling. That was installing floating cubes downstream of pump outlets 1 and 2 at a distance of about 100 meters. This installation aimed to prevent the wider spread of foam and is targeted to be completed by August 30, 2025.

Then, personnel would spray the foam using the high-pressure spraying method with a pressure of 7–9 bar according to operational standards.

"We're also strengthening coordination with the Water Resources Agency and the pump house operators so that responsive measures can be taken promptly whenever the pumps operate. Additionally, the identification of pollution sources around the lake is underway," he explained.

In the long term, the Environmental Agency would coordinate with PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro) as the lake caretaker.

He added, the water quality recovery plan included physical and biological methods to break down organic pollutants and surfactants that trigger foam formation.

"This is not just a temporary solution, but part of an ongoing effort to improve water quality in Jakarta," he stated.