City rule needed on water catchment wells

JAKARTA (JP): City officials said a city rule on water catchment wells was needed to avoid further groundwater contamination and depletion.

Aboejoewono, head of the city's environmental bureau said Thursday the rule would help enforce the 1992 gubernatorial decree stating that people had to build water catchment wells.

The decree also stipulates that developers must attach proposals on water catchment wells when applying for building permits.

The head of the production unit of the city-run water company PDAM Jaya, Kris Totuko, agreed that a stronger rule than the decree was needed, saying the quality of artesian wells were deteriorating because of rapid building activities.

Groundwater, found around 60 meters underground, is estimated to be enough for only eight more years.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said if no significant preventive measures were taken, Jakarta would face disaster after 2003.

Water catchment wells, which preserve rain water, are aimed at prolonging groundwater.

Data of the city's mining agency said groundwater exploitation here has reached 90,000 cubic meters per day, and would increase by 4 percent to 5 percent per year.

Hendro Pranoto Soesilo, an expert with the Minister of Public Works, said drilling down to artesian wells raised the risk of water pollution.

The Republika daily quoted him on March 9 as saying that groundwater exploitation here, which he estimated at 2 million cubic meters yearly, had exceeded limits of 1.4 million cubic meters per year set by the Directorate of Geology and Environment.

Aboejoewono cautioned that the rule on catchment wells may not be applied in all areas of Jakarta, as several areas were unsuitable for water catchment wells. North Jakarta's groundwater was too shallow, he said.

Kris said 55 percent of the city's water supply comes from groundwater because PDAM Jaya could only supply 45 percent of the demand.

PDAM officials earlier said that by 2006 the company would be able to supply 85 percent of the demand of 1,265,744 households. Kris said consumers should then prefer to use the company's water rather than utilizing artesian wells. (11)