Minister Sonny inaugurates Clean River Program II

Minister Sonny inaugurates Clean River Program II

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister for Environment Sonny Keraf
inaugurated on Wednesday the second phase of the Clean River
Program (Prokasih), emphasizing a comprehensive approach to water
management spanning from upstream to downstream and preservation
of the water catchment area.

"My dream in this program is for the rehabilitation of the
Ciliwung river to be an environmental milestone in our bid to
lift water quality and refine the spatial plan and housing near
it," Sonny said after opening a technical meeting of Prokasih
here.

"The Ciliwung has played a historical role in the development
of Greater Jakarta. Therefore, it will be our main priority in
this second phase of Prokasih which will last until 2005," he
said.

The river bank of the Ciliwung, dubbed the longest river in
West Java, covers some 104,235 hectares.

Earlier in September, the ministry along with the Ministry of
Settlement and Regional Infrastructure and the Netherlands signed
a memorandum of understanding on the rehabilitation and promotion
of sustainable development along the Ciliwung river.

"We will implement the concept of development without
eviction. In this way, we ask people living along Ciliwung river
to actively participate in preserving the rivers.

"Simple things such as sanitary and public toilets, no
littering the river ... such habits will contribute to better
water quality which is already in a poor condition due to over
pollution. It is actually easy to teach Indonesians about healthy
living if they feel the real benefit in it," Sonny said.

On the evaluation of the previous decade of the Prokasih
program which was launched in 1989, Sonny revealed the fact that
rivers in 17 provinces have experienced an increased water
quality.

"In Siak river in Riau the water quality has improved as
indicated by the Chemical Oxygen Demand (OCD) level which dropped
from 175 part per million (ppm) in 1992 to 80 ppm in 1997," he
said, adding that pollution from 257 industries in 1997 have
declined by an average of 50 percent from previous years.

Indonesia is now facing a serious problem on the availability
of water and water resources, the Minister of Settlement and
Territorial Development Erna Witoelar said in her written speech
at the opening of the Technical Working Meeting of the Clean
River Program organized by the Environmental Impact Control
Agency (Bapedal).

In Java for example, the availability of water is about 1,750
cubic-meter per capita per year, while the adequate standard
should be 2,000 cubic-meter per capita per year.

Erna identified five main causes of the crisis as the rapid
increase in the city's population, environmental degradation
caused by the tree plundering in River Basin Areas (DAS), the
long dry season, the decrease in water quality, and the
exploration of ground water resources.

Based on data from the Environmental Impact Control Agency,
the arbitrary logging along river banks across the country has
increased the number of critical river basin areas from 22 in
1984 to 39 in 1992.

There will be a new regulation on river management, which for
many people serves as a water resource, in anticipation of
regional autonomy, which takes effect in January next year.

A river passing two provinces will fall under central
government supervision.

The management of a river which passes two cities or more will
be handled by the provincial government, and rivers in cities
will be monitored by the local administration. (04/edt)