Corruption clouds control of use of groundwater

Corruption clouds control of use of groundwater

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Environmental activists revealed on Tuesday that unclear
government policy coupled with corruption resulting in weak
implementation of regulations had worsened the condition of
groundwater in the city.

"It's simply a fact that unclear government policy and
corruption have led to weak implementation of regulations on
groundwater," said Mas Achmad Santoso of the Indonesian Center
for Environmental Law (ICEL) on Tuesday.

Achmad alluded to the government's unclear policy on water
issues with the appointment of the mining agency as the single
agency responsible both for issuing drilling permits and the use
of groundwater.

According to Gubernatorial Decree No. 744 in 1995 on
procedures for issuing drilling permits and the use of
groundwater, the mining agency also has the authority to control
the implementation of groundwater use.

"The mining agency has a major interest in exploiting mineral
resources. How could we expect the agency to manage groundwater
in a sustainable way?" Achmad said.

Achmad remarked that groundwater management must be jointly
controlled by several related government agencies to ensure its
sustainability.

Otherwise, Achmad said, the exploitation would lead to a
massive depletion in water supply and other environmental damage,
like seawater intrusion and land subsidence.

Achmad also criticized the weak implementation of sanctions
imposed on those who have violated the prevailing regulations in
the use of groundwater.

"It's partly due to corrupt officials," said Achmad adding
that the sanctions were also very light.

According to the city bylaw, those who violate the bylaw on
groundwater would face six months in prison or Rp 50 million in
fines, a meager amount for big businesspeople.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Safruddin of the Jakarta chapter of the
Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi Jakarta) urged the
people to file a complaint with the government for the latter's
failure to control the use of groundwater.

"Do not hesitate to protest to the government for its failure
to manage groundwater as the public are entitled to access to
clean water," said Ahmad.

He referred to Article 33, Paragraph 3 of the Constitution,
which stipulates that the state controls, among other things,
water, in order to maximize the benefit it brings to the public.

"Access to water is a basic right and is protected in the
Constitution," said Ahmad.

Yuli, a resident of Casablanca in South Jakarta complained
that she used to get poor access to clean water when she was
residing at Tanjung Duren behind Taman Anggrek Mall in West
Jakarta.

"The quality of the groundwater was so poor that we couldn't
even use it for washing clothes, let alone as drinking water,"
said Yuli.

Many residents have been forced to drill deeper wells in order
to get groundwater due to the depletion of the water supply due
to over exploitation of water resources by high-powered pumps
belonging to high-rise buildings.

Similarly, Ritno, a resident of Bendungan Hilir, South Jakarta
who lives behind the BNI 46 towers complained about poor water
quality.

"Most of the residents here are forced to consume bottled
mineral water due to the poor quality of the groundwater," Ritno
complained.

Groundwater supplies around 70 percent of the people's water
needs in Jakarta, while river water supplies only 30 percent.