Abstract
BackgroundPeople living on the banks of polluted rivers with yearly flooding lived in impoverished and physically unhealthy circumstances. However, they were reluctant to move or be relocated to other locations where better living conditions were available. This study aimed to investigate the health status, quality of life (QoL), happiness, and life satisfaction of the people who were living on the banks of one of the main rivers in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Ciliwung.MethodsRespondents were 17 years and older and recruited from the Bukit Duri community (n = 204). Three comparison samples comprised: i) a socio-demographically matched control group, not living on the river bank (n = 204); ii) inhabitants of Jakarta (n = 305), and iii) the Indonesian general population (n = 1041). Health status and QoL were measured utilizing EQ-5D-5L, WHOQOL-BREF, the Happiness Scale, and the Life Satisfaction Index. A visual analogue scale question concerning respondents’ financial situations was added. MANOVA and multivariate regression analysis were used to analyze the differences between the Ciliwung respondents and the three comparison groups.ResultsThe Ciliwung respondents reported lower physical QoL on WHOQOL-BREF and less personal happiness than the matched controls but rated their health (EQ-5D-5L) and life satisfaction better than the matched controls. Similar results were obtained by comparison with the Jakarta inhabitants and the general population. Bukit Duri inhabitants also perceived themselves as being in a better financial situation than the three comparison groups even though their incomes were lower.ConclusionsThe recent relocation to a better environment with better housing might improve the former Ciliwung inhabitants’ quality of life and happiness, but not necessarily their perceived health, satisfaction with life, and financial situations.
Highlights
People living on the banks of polluted rivers with yearly flooding lived in impoverished and physically unhealthy circumstances
Many people in the developing world live in places that are characterized by unhealthy living circumstances. This is the case in the downstream areas of many rivers in Southeast Asia, where waste from the factories and people of the upper and lower parts of the river is accumulating, causing water pollution and house flooding: e.g. the Mekong and Red River Deltas in Cambodia and Vietnam, Manila bay, and the Mae Klong river in Thailand [1,2,3,4,5,6]
The Ciliwung river is heavily polluted with heavy metal concentrations such as lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) [6,7,8], nitrate (NO3), human enteric viruses, and Escherichia coli [9, 10]
Summary
People living on the banks of polluted rivers with yearly flooding lived in impoverished and physically unhealthy circumstances. Many people in the developing world live in places that are characterized by unhealthy living circumstances. The Ciliwung river is heavily polluted with heavy metal concentrations such as lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) [6,7,8], nitrate (NO3), human enteric viruses, and Escherichia coli [9, 10]. It is frequently flooded, with its yearly peak occurring in January and February. Higher contaminations of viruses and bacterial indicators are found in the floodwaters [11]
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