Social conditions in wastewater processing to manage river water quality (study in Cirarab River, Tangerang District, Indonesia)

Water is essential for a healthy ecosystem and socio-economic development. Global water demand increases annually and will continue to increase significantly. However, the availability of clean water is strongly influenced by pollution, which is heavily influenced by the human population. As rivers are often used as sources for drinking water, its water quality is crucial to be maintained and monitored, one of which is the Cirarab River in Tangerang district. The COD and BOD values of the Cirarab River have exceeded the permissible water quality standards, which are associated with the human activities in the river basin. This research aims to determine the social condition in terms of community and industry participation in wastewater processing in the river basin. This research was conducted through field observation, questionnaires, and deep interviews. This study concludes that the community septic tank ownership is moderate (53%), and the industry WWTP ownerships is low (22%). The recommended strategies are: providing establishment of an individual or communal septic tanks, providing assistance to the community and industries, personnel addition of environmental supervisors, surveillance on wastewater treatment plant operations, wastewater discharge permit re-evaluation, and stronger law enforcement.