$28.63m collected in well fees

$28.63m collected in well fees

JAKARTA (JP): The City Revenue Office collected almost Rp 67
billion (US$28.63 million) last year from artesian well fees,
official reports indicate.

The financial report, made available to The Jakarta Post
yesterday, said that the amount was more than twice the office's
target, set at Rp 31 billion last year.

The head of the City Mine and Energy Agency, Arifin Akbar,
said on Thursday that not all artesian well owners had paid the
monthly fees.

"There are 31 government offices, private companies and
individuals who have been in arrears during the last three
months. They have not paid a total of Rp 400 million
(US$170,648)," Arifin said.

He said the delinquent well owners were reluctant to pay the
fees on the grounds that they now use tap water for their daily
needs, using the groundwater when necessary on an emergency
basis.

Arifin said there are 3,100 artesian wells in the city owned
by 2,000 government offices, private companies and individuals.

According to Provincial Regulation No. 4/1994, those who
exploit groundwater by constructing artesian wells with a depth
of at least 40 meters are subject to a monthly levy.

There is no fixed rate for the monthly fees to be paid by
artesian well owners. A hotel on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central
Jakarta paid Rp 8.9 million for the consumption of 8,091 cubic
meters of water from its artesian well last year.

If the hotel had used tap water, the 8,091 cubic meters of tap
water would have cost Rp 25.1 million.

Arifin said that the number tends to increase each year. By
April last year, there were 2,973 wells, even though the city
administration had increased the fees up to 250 percent.

"The hike was aimed at discouraging people from using artesian
wells and to encourage them to use tap water from the city water
company. But the goal is still hard to achieve, because the tap
water company (PAM Jaya) cannot supply all Jakartans with tap
water," he said.

Arifin said that Jakartans have no other choice, although
using artesian wells is more expensive than using tap water.

"I hope PAM Jaya could increase its ability to serve Jakartans
with tap water as soon as possible, for the sake of the
preservation of the groundwater," he said.

He added, however, that the quantity of water being pumped by
Jakartans through artesian wells is decreasing. During the
1994/1995 fiscal year, Jakartans pumped a total of 35.87 million
cubic meters of underground water, while in the 1995/1996 fiscal
period, they pumped only 29.6 million cubic meters.

Arifin said that extensive use of groundwater is one of the
factors contributing to a decrease in the city's land level, as
well as sea water intrusion.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja has said that the city's
groundwater potential amounts to approximately 77 million cubic
meters per year, enough to support rising water demands for the
next 10 years.

The sustainable utilization limit of existing water sources is
estimated at 42 million cubic meters per annum.

Out of the 77 million cubic meters, 40 million are derived
from rain seeping into the ground, with the other 37 million
coming from the Puncak hilly area south of the city, he said.

Surjadi said that based on geological data, rainwater levels
in the city reach about 300 million cubic meters annually, of
which 260 million cubic meters seep into the upper level of the
ground, with the other 40 million cubic meters being absorbed at
greater depths. (yns)