Beware of water shortage<\/p>\n
While Jakartans have long been warned about the deteriorating
\nquality of groundwater and the decreasing sources due to the
\nworsening environment, PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja), producer
\nof tap water for Jakarta, raised concerns only last week about
\nthe looming shortage of raw water sources in the near future.<\/p>\n
The supply of raw water from the Jatiluhur (Juanda) dam in
\nPurwakarta, West Java has been steadily reducing over the past
\nfew years. This has apparently forced Palyja to work harder due
\nto the fluctuating levels in raw water from the reservoir, which
\ncontinues to dry up.<\/p>\n
It is understandable that the company -- responsible for the
\nproduction and distribution of tap water -- foresees that Jakarta
\nmay suffer from a serious shortage of tap water by 2008.<\/p>\n
Jatiluhur reservoir, which receives water from the Citarum
\nriver, has long been the dominant source of raw water for
\nJakarta. The other water resource for the capital is the Cisadane
\nriver in Tangerang, Banten. The water trade between Jatiluhur dam
\nand Jakarta started soon after the dam was constructed in the
\n1960s.<\/p>\n
Jatiluhur supplies 80 percent of raw water for more than
\n700,000 tap water consumers across the city. The remaining 20
\npercent of the raw water comes from local administration utility
\nPDAM Tangerang, Banten, and the Bogor utility in West Java.<\/p>\n
The water level in Jatiluhur dam is now only 92 meters, almost
\nseven meters below the normal level.<\/p>\n
The likelihood of a shortage in raw water has actually been
\nknown for some time. After the inauguration of the Saguling and
\nCirata reservoirs in 1986 and 1989 respectively the Jatiluhur dam
\nmanagement has been worried about the supply of water from the
\nCitarum river as the two dams -- built for generating electricity
\n-- are located upstream from the dam. However, the voice of
\nanxiety had not been publicly acknowledged. Jatiluhur dam is
\nunder the auspices of the Ministry of Public Works while Saguling
\nand Cirata were then controlled by the then Ministry of Mining
\nand Energy.<\/p>\n
The fact that the water from Jatiluhur dam, which flows
\nthrough West Tarum Canal and several waterways in the city, has
\nbeen seriously polluted, especially during the dry season, is
\nanother strong indication that raw water supply for tap water is
\nin danger. People persist in dumping household waste and garbage
\ninto the canals and waterways.<\/p>\n
A hydrologist had earlier suggested that the water business
\nbetween Jakarta and the Jatiluhur dam be limited to between 25
\nand 30 years owing to the fact that West Java, where the dam is
\nlocated, would need more water for its own development.<\/p>\n
All these facts should have been taken seriously by PAM Jaya
\nthe tap water producer and distributor at that time. The absence
\nof a prompt response to the warnings obviously reflects the
\nignorance of the relevant institutions over the future threat.<\/p>\n
If there is no solution found to respond to Palyja's concern
\nabout the water shortage in the next three years, city residents
\nwill face a serious predicament.<\/p>\n
Not only those who subscribe to tap water from Palyja are
\ninsecure about tap water, but also those who depend on
\ngroundwater will also face difficult times.<\/p>\n
Jakarta, home for more than 10 million people needs more than
\n22 cubic meters of water per second per day, while 70 percent of
\nthe water is obtained from groundwater. Given the shrinking
\ngroundwater resources due to -- among other things -- the
\ndisappearance of space for catchment areas and vanishing green
\nareas designated as catchments, groundwater has become a more and
\nmore expensive commodity.<\/p>\n
Things have gotten worse. Warnings against the destruction of
\nwater resources have been ignored. Campaigns to use water
\neconomically have proven inadequate to make all parties aware of
\nthe importance of saving water. The only thing Palyja and the
\ncity administration can do is persistently and continuously make
\npeople more aware of the seriousness of the situation. Both the
\nJakarta administration and Palyja should ask all sectors of
\nsociety, including non-governmental organizations, to join hands
\nto do something to improve the environment for the sake of the
\nimprovement of water resources.<\/p>\n
March 22 is commemorated as World Water Day and institutions
\nand environmentalists dealing with water preservation always
\nstress that better management of water resources is critical to
\npreserving water resources.<\/p>\n
UNESCO once stated without better management of water
\nresources and the related ecosystem, two-third of humanity will
\nsuffer from severe or moderate shortages by the year 2005. What
\nPalyja and the residents of Jakarta are now experiencing is proof
\nof UNESCO's projection.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/beware-of-water-shortage-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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