DKI Provincial Government to Conduct Weather Modification to Counter El Niño Threat
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government will conduct weather modification if a prolonged dry season occurs due to the El Niño phenomenon, which has the potential to trigger a water crisis in the capital.
Special Staff to the Governor of DKI Jakarta for Development and Spatial Planning, Nirwono Joga, stated that this measure is one of the efforts to maintain water availability during the dry season.
“If weather modification was carried out during the rainy season last year to reduce rainfall, then during the dry season it can be done to bring rain,” said Nirwono after the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) titled “Groundwater Amid the El Niño Threat: The Unseen Crisis” in Jakarta on Tuesday.
According to him, addressing groundwater issues and drought threats requires collaboration between the local government, PAM Jaya, the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD), and the community.
He stated that the government has a role in regulation, PAM Jaya as the piped water service provider, while the community and groups can monitor implementation in the field.
In addition to weather modification, the DKI Provincial Government is also promoting the optimisation of water bodies such as rivers and reservoirs to maintain water availability during the dry season.
Nirwono assessed that supervision of groundwater usage needs to be strengthened, especially in industrial and residential areas, through inspections and periodic audits.
However, he acknowledged that restrictions on groundwater usage cannot yet be fully implemented in areas not covered by piped water services.
“If there is no piped network yet and they are asked to use PAM water, it’s certainly not easy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Senior Manager of Corporate & Customer Communication at PAM Jaya, Gatra Vaganza, stated that groundwater usage is not entirely safe, even if it appears clear to the naked eye.
According to her, PAM Jaya continues to encourage the public to switch to piped water services while increasing water distribution capacity.
To date, said Gatra, PAM Jaya has added 1,183,669 customer connections, reaching 81.11 percent of the total target of 2,010,888 connections.
“So far, we have not seen any potential shortage of piped water supply. However, drought may impact residents who still use groundwater,” she said.
On the other hand, Coordinator of the Presidium of the Jakarta Groundwater Coalition (JATA), Laode Kamaludin, stated that around 40 percent of Jakarta residents still utilise groundwater for daily needs.
According to him, groundwater exploitation is one of the causes of land subsidence in Jakarta, especially in North Jakarta.
As an effort to educate the public, said Laode, JATA plans to open posts in every sub-district to accelerate the use of piped water and reduce groundwater exploitation.