City administration to enact bylaw on injection wells

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration is to introduce a new bylaw on injection wells to help stave off a water crisis in Jakarta, Governor Sutiyoso said yesterday.

Under the planned bylaw, which the administration hopes will take effect in April, new buildings must include injection wells. The administration will have the power to impose sanctions on sites that do not meet the new requirements.

The new powers are expected to strengthen Gubernatorial Decree No. 17/1992 which states rules for sinking wells on the sites of city administration offices and housing estates.

Buildings on 100 to 250-square-meter-plots of land must sink one well; buildings on 251 to 500-square-meter plots must sink two wells; and buildings on 501 to 1,000-square-meter plots must have three wells. Houses built on plots over 1,000 square meters must also have at least three wells.

The wells are constructed using a combination of rocks, sand and palm fiber. The materials filter the water before it is absorbed into the ground. The wells are used to channel rain water, household waste water and runoff and should help ensure a good supply of water during the dry season.

Sufficient

"The wells can absorb water in the rainy season ensuring sufficient ground water supplies during the dry season," Sutiyoso said. The injection wells also bolster the city's flood defenses as they can rapidly absorb large volumes of rainwater.

"I've built seven wells at my house on Jl. Taman Suropati. Even the Vice President has constructed wells at his house," he added.

Meanwhile, head of the city environmental impact agency Prawoto Danumihardjo said Wednesday that the administration had discussed introducing the bylaw since 1990.

"It has been hard to popularize the decree because of a lack of awareness. But during last years prolonged dry season, people started shouting about the water shortage and blamed us for it," Prawoto said at City Hall.

South Jakarta, Depok and East Jakarta have been designated as water catchment zones for the pilot phase of the project. "These areas have been chosen for the pilot injection well project because they have a deeper ground water level. It's impossible to sink injection wells in North Jakarta because of salt water intrusion", Prawoto added.

It has also been proposed that Bandung, West Java, and Yogyakarta participate in the well program.

There are currently about 100 injection wells in the city administration offices and housing complexes.

"The were built jointly by the city public works agency and the city planning agency" Prawoto said. (edt)