'Ecohydrology' may help solve water crisis

'Ecohydrology' may help solve water crisis

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With some provinces being hit by water shortages, scientists are
suggesting the use of ecohydrology to overcome the problem.

"Actually, such shortages are common across the world. UNESCO
has detected that since the mid-1990s both the quality and the
quantity of water has been degraded all over the planet," said
Gadis Sri Haryani of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

She said water shortages were caused by diminishing forests,
which are vital to retaining rainwater.

"Dwindling forests disrupt the hydrological cycle, known as
the water cycle, in which after rainfall the water does not go
straight out to sea. It should be retained in the soil in
forests, so that during the dry season we do not experience
drought," said Gadis, director of research for limnology, which
concerns the study of inland waters.

Water shortages have occurred in some of the nation's most
populated cities, such as Jakarta.

Joint venture water company PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya, which
manages tap water supply for the eastern half of the capital, has
warned that unless the government finds new water sources,
Jakarta could suffer a severe water shortages as early as 2008.

The warning came because of shrinking water volumes in the
Jatiluhur reservoir in Purwakarta, West Java, which supplies 80
percent of the raw water for over 700,000 water consumers across
the city.

Another LIPI scientist, Peter E. Hehanussa, said water
shortages also happened because people did not pay attention to
water catchments.

"One of the causes of the shortages is the conversion of water
catchments into residential areas," he said.

Peter, who is also an expert in limnology, said the shortages,
especially those occurring in Java and Madura, could be solved by
promoting ecohydrology, which combines ecology and hydrology to
manage water resources.

"Before ecohydrology was introduced in the 1990s, experts on
ecology and hydrology worked separately, causing incomprehensive
solutions to water shortages," he said.

Gadis said that before ecohydrology was introduced, ecologists
focused on conserving the environment, while hydrologists on
water management.

"A couple of years ago, hydrologists solved water problems by
recommending that the government build dams or reroute a river.
Meanwhile, what is really important is to manage water
resources," said Gadis.

To look for a comprehensive formula to tackle water issues,
LIPI is holding a week-long international symposium on
ecohydrology in Bali, which starts on Monday.

Besides organizing the symposium, LIPI will also host the 13th
Asia Pacific Regional Steering Committee Meeting on Ecohydrology,
the 3rd Asia Pacific Training Workshop on Ecohydrology, and
Scientific Advisory Committee on Ecohydrology Annual Meeting.

Scientists from 28 countries are expected to attend the series
of events.