Java, Bali face water shortage

Java, Bali face water shortage

JAKARTA: The water supply for Java and Bali has hit critical
levels against increasing demand, a minister warned on Saturday.

Minister of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure Soenarno
said the densely populated islands of Java and Bali were able to
supply only 300 billion cubic meters of water annually, while
demand was twice this amount.

Other islands are more secure, such as Papua, where demand is
only 0.036 percent of the available water supply, or Kalimantan,
where demand is 4 percent of its supply.

Soenarno was speaking at a ceremony that marked his
inauguration as a hydrology professor at Muhammadiyah University
in Surakarta, Central Java. He said the country was in dire need
of comprehensive regulations to secure the water supply. --
Antara