W. Java administration takes steps to conserve water<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The West Java administration has taken steps to
\nconserve water because of fears that the supply from the
\nJatiluhur reservoir will not be enough to irrigate all rice
\nfields in the area.<\/p>\n
The current drought has threatened many paddies along the
\nnorthern coast of West Java, said H.E. Djaelani, a senior
\nofficial of the administration, as quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
The water in the Jatiluhur reservoir might not be sufficient
\nto meet the needs of all rice paddies in the region, and steps
\nmust be taken to conserve water, said Djaelani, who is assistant
\nto West Java governor of the Purwakarta area.<\/p>\n
The administration has rationed water through rotational
\nirrigation and has provided water pumps or built emergency dams.<\/p>\n
The administration has also delayed rice planting, calling on
\nfarmers to use seeds that grow quickly and are more resistant to
\npests. Rice fields that do not have access to irrigation water
\nshould be planted with other crops.<\/p>\n
Djaelani presided at a meeting this week to assess the rice
\nplanting session for areas that depend on Jatiluhur water.<\/p>\n
Fears were expressed at the meeting about the possibility of
\nthe drought expanding into areas surrounding the reservoir after
\nmany streams in the northern part of West Java dried up.<\/p>\n
Tukul Santoso, managing director of Jatiluhur Authority, the
\nstate agency which manages the reservoir, said water levels in
\nJatiluhur and two other reservoirs, Saguling and Cirata, which
\nalso depend on the Citarum River, have declined.<\/p>\n
They were only sufficient to meet irrigation needs of the
\nregion, Tukul said.<\/p>\n
He said that on July 15, the water surface of Saguling fell to
\n632.21 meters, nearly nine meters below what was anticipated.
\nCirata fell to 211.15 meters, or about six meters below the
\nanticipated level. The water level in Jatiluhur was eight meters
\nlower than was expected.<\/p>\n
\"Given these levels, the amount of irrigation water is just
\nsufficient. There are 912.17 million cubic meters of water, while
\nthe total need of the area is 862.88 million cubic meters...until
\nSeptember,\" he said.<\/p>\n
An earlier Antara report said the drought had affected 12,420
\nhectares of rice fields in West Java, although none were declared
\ntotal losses.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Jambi,Antara also reported Wednesday that a water
\nshortage in some lowlands of Jambi could lead to rice crop
\nfailure.<\/p>\n
Three hundred seventy hectares of paddies in the province have
\nbeen damaged by drought, said Tagor Mulia Nasution, head of crop
\nprotection at Jambi's agricultural office.<\/p>\n
\"Crop failure will increase unless rain falls in the next 15
\ndays,\" Nasution said. (09)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/w-java-administration-takes-steps-to-conserve-water-1447893297",
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