Joan de la Malla's Image

Joan de la Malla (Spain) provides a bird’s-eye view of the polluted Ciliwung River winding through Indonesia’s capital Jakarta.

As the Ciliwung coils its way through Jakarta it’s hard to imagine the river full of life. Plastic rubbish, human waste, agricultural fertilisers and factory waste are all suffocating the Ciliwung River.

To find a time when lower air pollution allowed for a clear view, Joan returned to the scene over several days. His image documents one of the most polluted rivers on Earth and illustrates the growing global issue of water pollution in cities around the world.

Celina Chien, Storyteller, Artist and Competition Judge, was impressed by this image. ‘This photo speaks to people all over the globe and is an important, thought-provoking reminder that despite all the progress in technology and infrastructure, we’re still dependent on, and at the mercy of, the riverine veins that feed us. Almost every major city in the world is on a river. Yet, we pollute our waters and try to control uncontrollable forces, such as a river’s direction, its ebb and flow, its flooding.’

Currently Jakarta residents can’t use the river’s water for drinking, and as a result overexploitation of aquifer water is causing widespread subsidence. Government pledges to clean up the river have failed to make significant progress and with the city now gradually sinking, plans are in progress to build a new Indonesian capital city in Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.