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)