Conserving groundwater easier said than done<\/p>\n
Soeryo Winoto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
UNESCO has chosen \"Water for Development\" as the theme of this
\nyear's World Water Day, which falls on March 22. Without better
\nmanagement of water resources and related ecosystems, two-thirds
\nof humanity will suffer from severe or moderate shortages by the
\nyear 2005. The looming water crisis is one of the most critical
\nchallenges facing the world today, including Indonesia,
\nparticularly in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
It is indisputable that the capital city, Jakarta, depends
\nfully on its neighboring provinces' water resources.<\/p>\n
The capital still obtains water from West Java's multipurpose
\nJatiluhur dam, which retains water from the Citarum River.<\/p>\n
The Cisadane River in Tangerang, Banten, is also an important
\nwater resource for Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The upstream areas of Bogor, Puncak and Cianjur, popularly
\nknown as Bopunjur, are the most significant water conservation
\nareas for Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Problems have arisen with water supplies, especially during
\nprolonged droughts.<\/p>\n
People persist in their ignorant dumping of household waste
\nand garbage into rivers.<\/p>\n
The water from Jatiluhur dam, which flows through West Tarum
\nCanal and several waterways in the capital, became more polluted
\nduring the dry season as there was inadequate water to flush away
\nboth household and industrial pollutants.<\/p>\n
This has apparently made the purification process more
\ndifficult and expensive.<\/p>\n
West Java's water needs may, in the future, affect the
\nJatiluhur dam's supply to Jakarta, which buys the water for Rp 50
\nper cubic meter from the dam's management.<\/p>\n
A hydrologist from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB)
\nhas suggested that the business deal between Jakarta and West
\nJava (the Jatiluhur dam management) should be limited to between
\n25 years and 30 years. \"In the next 20 years and 30 years West
\nJava will need more water in line with its development. One of
\nthe suppliers is the Jatiluhur dam,\" Arwin Sabar, the hydrologist
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Jakarta, home to some 8.5 million people, needs more than 22
\ncubic meters of water per second per day. (Greater Jakarta, which
\nincludes Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi, has more than 11 million
\nresidents).<\/p>\n
\"Seventy percent of the water is obtained from ground water,
\nand the remaining 30 percent from the existing rivers,\" said Mohd
\nAli, chief of the subdirectorate of hydrology at the Ministry of
\nResettlement and Regional Infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Thirteen rivers flow into the capital and its surrounding
\nareas.<\/p>\n
The fact that the capital depends more on ground water is also
\na problem.<\/p>\n
The city no longer has any more space for water catchment
\nareas. Many green areas designated as water catchments have been
\ndeveloped into housing complexes.<\/p>\n
Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta was earlier declared a water
\ncatchment. Development was supposed to be very restricted in the
\narea. However, law enforcement has again been the main obstacle
\nto upholding the policy. Violations have been perpetrated and no
\nappropriate action has been taken by the authorities.<\/p>\n
Each Jakarta governor also has his own \"development policy\".
\nAreas that were declared water catchments by then Governor Ali
\nSadikin, for example, became residential areas after he had left
\noffice.<\/p>\n
The IKPN housing complex on low-lying land in Bintaro, South
\nJakarta, can be cited as a clear example. No wonder the IKPN
\nhousing complex, which was supposed to become a water catchment
\nin the 1970s, is now one of the notoriously flood-prone spots in
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
The number of natural lakes in Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi has
\nalso dropped drastically, due to rapid development.<\/p>\n
In the 1940s, Bogor had 122 lakes with a total catchment area
\nof 649.5 hectares. Tangerang had 45 lakes, with 1,335 hectares of
\nopen land and Bekasi had 17, with 136 hectares of open area.<\/p>\n
In 1994 the number of lakes in Bogor dropped to 102, 19 in
\nTangerang 19 and eight in Bekasi.<\/p>\n
The result has been excessive groundwater exploitation.<\/p>\n
Land subsidence in the city can be cited as proof of
\nuncontrolled groundwater exploitation.<\/p>\n
According to PT Thames PAM Jaya, which produces tap water for
\nJakarta, land subsidence ranges from 40 millimeters (mm) to 80 mm
\nannually. Land subsidence has reached the Ring 1 area, including
\nthe National Monument (Monas), which is close to the presidential
\npalace and other state buildings.<\/p>\n
\"In North Jakarta alone ground subsidence has reached a depth
\nof almost one meter,\" one of the company's managers once said.<\/p>\n
The quality of groundwater in such areas has deteriorated
\nconsiderably, as sea water intrusion has been unavoidable.<\/p>\n
The quality of groundwater in densely populated kampongs is
\nanother question. People install (shallow) wells very close to
\nseptic tanks (of their own or their neighbor's) as their houses
\nare very close to each other. The recommended distance is at
\nleast 10 meters.<\/p>\n
Research carried out some years ago found that groundwater in
\nsome residential areas in West Jakarta contained bacteria
\nresulting from septic tank water infiltration.<\/p>\n
These facts may have made everybody aware that clean water has
\nbecome a scarce and expensive commodity in the capital.
\nUnfortunately, only a few have been doing anything to help
\npreserve water resources.<\/p>\n
Two things that could be done by residents are to use water
\nwisely and dispose of garbage properly.<\/p>\n
Many high-rise buildings, hotels, factories and real estate
\nhousing complexes have their own wells to meet their water
\ndemands. However, many of the wells do not meet the regulations
\nregarding deep-well drilling.<\/p>\n
The question now is how to deal with water resource problems
\nand what to do to ensure sustainable water supply in the future.<\/p>\n
The destruction of the water conservation areas of Bopunjur
\nhas been excessive, despite presidential decrees and other bylaws
\nto protect the areas.<\/p>\n
In the 1980s the government tried to take protective steps.<\/p>\n
Presidential Decree No. 48\/1983 aiming at protecting the
\nBopunjur area from uncontrolled environmental damage.<\/p>\n
Considering that more restrictions had to be enforced to
\nprotect the water conservation area, Presidential Decree No. 79
\non the detailed pattern of the spatial use and planning of the
\nPuncak resort was issued two years later.<\/p>\n
Some illegal buildings standing on areas prohibited for
\ndevelopment in the Puncak have been demolished. This was a
\npopular action, which was then discontinued without good reason.
\nPeople say that many of the illegal buildings, mostly villas, in
\nthe Puncak belong to \"important people\" living in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Presidential Decree No. 114 on the spatial planning in
\nBopunjur was then issued in 1999 to reiterate its designation as
\na land and water conservation area.<\/p>\n
Adi Sarwoko, director of water resources planning and
\nmanagement at the Ministry of Resettlement and Regional
\nInfrastructure, said that the new presidential decree was
\nexpected to maintain water resources in Bogor, Puncak and
\nCianjur.<\/p>\n
According to Mohd Ali, a new approach to conserve groundwater
\nhas been made.<\/p>\n
\"In the past water was just a supporting factor in a
\ndevelopment plan and the preparation of a spatial plan. Now
\nspatial planning will not be done for an area that has limited
\nwater resources. Things must change, or we will face more
\nproblems in the future,\" Ali said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/conserving-groundwater-easier-said-than-done-1447893297",
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