“We are on CCTV,” said Prigi, an environmental activist. Not only an activist, he is also a member of a research institute called Ecoton which is located in Gresik. And the sentence that was spoken was a trailer for the Expedition 3 Rivers series.
Expedition 3 Ribers is a collaboration series between journalists, activists, and researchers. As the name implies, this expedition explores 3 major rivers on the island of Java. starting from Brantas in East Java, Bengawan Solo in Central Java, to Citarum in West Java.
Not always related to environmental conditions such as garbage, industry, and others, this series also present the public’s perspective on the shifting river. If in the days of the old kingdom, the banks of the river were used as locations for civilization, now it is the opposite. The river is not a virtue of a reflection in meeting daily needs, now the river is only used as an ecosystem for disposing of household and industrial waste. It is as if rivers and their environment can solve the problem of waste.
And people whose lives depend on rivers like fishermen, must accept the fate that the rivers’ conditions cannot be expected for a better one. Rivers are no better for the ecosystem in them, even worse when consumed by humans.