Councilor urges integrated water management
JAKARTA (JP): A councilor said it was urgent Greater Jakarta integrated water management policies to preserve water catchment areas.
Uniform aims and cooperation between the municipality and neighboring West Java areas was needed to prevent further environmental destruction, Lukman F. Mokoginta, a member of Commission D for development affairs said yesterday.
"Water management should not recognize administrative boundaries," he said.
Lukman was responding to earlier calls to integrate water management here. On Tuesday evening State Minister for Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said he would suggest the formation of a national water management board to President Soeharto.
A senior official of the city monitoring and control office, who asked not to be named, also said coordination was necessary to prevent overlapping or contradictory policies on water management.
Lukman said the environmental destruction around the Puncak mountain resort, which was blamed for last year's floods in Jakarta, was an example of non-integrated policies. Uncontrolled building in Puncak has reduced the water catchment areas.
Meanwhile, the results of a study on water quality in Jakarta announced yesterday confirmed earlier findings that wells were polluted.
Too close
The study by the city's environment monitoring and control office said most wells surveyed were too close to septic tanks. The findings were announced at a seminar on Jakarta's environment.
Most wells were less than 10 meters from septic tanks. Three hundred samples in 100 subdistricts showed 83 percent of the wells in Central Jakarta were too close to septic tanks, 66 percent in South Jakarta were too close, 56 percent in East Jakarta and 51 percent in West Jakarta.
The survey randomly tested samples for a year. Samples were taken twice in the dry and wet seasons.
The study found ammonia or chemical substances from detergents polluted most wells. The chemical content of water samples exceeded the limits set in a 1990 ministry of health decree. They are 200 milligrams per liter for ammonia and 0.50 mg per liter for chemicals in detergents.
Water was polluted by detergents in 44 wells in North Jakarta, 36 in Central Jakarta, 21 in South Jakarta, 27 in West Jakarta and 15 in East Jakarta.
The city has begun taking measures to prevent further reduction of water catchment areas and to preserve ground water.
South Jakarta Mayor Pardjoko earlier urged the city administration to purchase 300-hectares in Jagakarsa subdistrict as a water catchment area.
Several subdistricts in South Jakarta, including Jagakarsa, Pasar Minggu, and Condet, East Jakarta, have been zoned water catchment areas.
Lukman called again for the public to build water catchment wells. The city publishes brochures on building private wells which are available at the city's public works agency in Jatibaru, Central Jakarta.
"Ground water flows in a cycle. As long as the cycle goes smoothly ground water will be safe," Lukman said. (11)