Government plans to tax river water users

Government plans to tax river water users

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Settlement and Regional
Infrastructure Erna Witoelar warned on Monday that a tax could be
imposed in the future on those exploiting river water.

Opening a two-day international course on planning and
management of river basins in Jakarta, Erna said people living on
the river banks, private companies and state-owned companies,
including provincial tap water producer (PDAM), could all be
taxed for using the river water.

"This is a way to make those exploiting river water
responsible. The people must stop their habit of spoiling water.
They must be held responsible for the quality of the river
water," she said.

However she said the plan was still at the discussion level.

The imposition of any tax must also get the approval of the
House of Representatives (DPR).

When asked about people living on the banks of rivers, Erna
said that they should start trying to treat the river in a more
responsible fashion. "The pollution in the river is not only due
to the mistakes of those living on the rivers' banks. People
living in other areas have also contributed to the river water
pollution."

She denied allegations that the government had always defended
the families living on the river banks. "If their existence is
dangerous (both to the their own lives and the environment), they
will be relocated. The most important thing is they will be used
to manage, not to spoil the water."

Speaking about the connection between regional autonomy and
river management, Erna said that regional administrations were in
charge of rivers running through their areas. "Management of the
river is no longer done by the central government."

"If a river runs across a regency, it is the regency that will
impose the tax on those using the river water in the area."

Bandung

In a related development, the head of West Java's Provincial
Environmental Impact Management Agency, Nia Kurnia said on Monday
that most of 1,800 factories operating in the province dumped
their waste illegally into the rivers.

"Until August, there are only 97 industries that have a legal
permit to discharge their waste into the river. That's the
current situation in West Java," he told The Jakarta Post.

He said permits to dump industrial waste into the river were
in line with the Provincial Regulation No. 10/1995.

"It is the Public Works Office that is authorized to issue the
permits. Our agency functions as a coordinator for technical
affairs."

He said the provincial administration had found it difficult
to implement the regulation. "The law enforcement has been too
poor. The industries started operation long before the regulation
was produced. The administration is also lacking the technical
team to implement the regulation."

An environment expert of the Padjadjaran University, Daud
Silalahi, said that the law had never been seriously enforced.
"The administration, the Agency and the factory owners have a
poor understanding of the regulation. They think that the
regulation is not a positive law, which could see violators being
tried." (25/sur)