People told to save water<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi and Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government is calling on the public, particularly in Jakarta,
\nto avoid wasting water and to be prepared for sacrifices now that
\nthe country was feeling the full heat of the dry season.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, State Minister for the Environment Nabiel Makarim
\ncriticized the watering of gardens and washing of cars as
\nexamples of wasting water.<\/p>\n
He said this year's dry season arrived earlier than predicted
\nand could develop into a disaster if the dry season became
\nprolonged.<\/p>\n
\"The drought will adversely affect water supplies to farmers
\nas well as tap water customers, cause crop failures and increase
\nthe threat of forest fires,\" said Nabiel after a ministerial
\nmeeting presided over by Coordinating Minister for People's
\nWelfare Jusuf Kalla.<\/p>\n
Separately, Roestam Sjarief, the director for water resources
\nat the Ministry of Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure, told
\nThe Jakarta Post that local governments had been called on to
\ntake emergency measures by providing water pumps for areas
\nsuffering serious water shortages.<\/p>\n
According to Roestam, the central and local governments had
\nallocated Rp 1.7 billion from the state budget and local budgets
\nto provide the water pumps.<\/p>\n
A special humanitarian fund would also be set up to provide
\naid if people started to suffer from food shortages or other
\ndifficulties as a result of the drought, according to Kalla.<\/p>\n
\"At the moment, people still have rice. We predict the drought
\nwill peak in September,\" Kalla said, adding that the amount of
\nthe fund had still to be decided.<\/p>\n
Roestam said the government would prioritize the allocation of
\nwater in reservoirs for tap water and irrigation purposes, rather
\nthan electricity generation.<\/p>\n
According to Roestam, he had asked state-owned electricity
\nfirm PT PLN to accept such a plan as tap water and irrigation
\nwater were essential for the well-being of the majority of the
\npopulation.<\/p>\n
\"That is our basic policy as the 1974 Water Law mandates that
\nwater should be first used for tap water purposes rather than
\nother needs,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
The water volume in two reservoirs in West Java -- the Darma
\nreservoir in Kuningan district and the Bendung Rentang reservoir
\nin Majalengka district, has dropped by 70 percent.<\/p>\n
They are both main water sources for irrigated agricultural
\nland along the north coast of West Java.<\/p>\n
Nabiel said cloud seeding was being considered, except for the
\nJakarta area, where the skies had been cloudless recently.<\/p>\n
The first rain in Jakarta is expected to fall in November.<\/p>\n
Separately, the drought is affecting 150,000 hectares of
\nfarmland in West Java, 48,000 hectares in Central Java and 15,000
\nhectares in East Java.<\/p>\n
\"These figures are interesting as West Java has more water
\nthan East Java, but West Java is suffering the most from the
\nsevere drought,\" said Roestam.<\/p>\n
\"This is because the West Java farmers speculated by trying to
\ngrow rice through the dry season. Therefore, it is no wonder that
\ntheir fields have now dried up.\"<\/p>\n
The director of the agriculture and food security agency in
\nLampung, Masdulhaq, said crops had failed in Lampung over some
\n20,000 hectares. He said the figure might eventually reach 40,000
\nhectares.<\/p>\n
In Central Java alone, the losses due to the drought have
\nreached about Rp 84.5 billion (US$9.91 million),<\/p>\n
Nabiel said his office had taken measures to prevent the sort
\nof environmental damage that could result from the ongoing
\ndrought from occurring.<\/p>\n
\"Water pollution will be seriously monitored. Firms should not
\ndispose of their liquid waste into watercourses at levels that
\nare above the tolerable limits,\" said Nabiel.<\/p>\n
\"We will be stricter with industries that violate the
\nregulations on water pollution. They will be brought directly to
\ncourt if they are caught polluting rivers\".<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/people-told-to-save-water-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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