Plants dries up in botanical garden

BOGOR: Hundreds of plants in Bogor Botanical Gardens had reportedly dried up due to the lack of rain and dwindling water supply during the current prolonged dry season.

Hundreds of other plants, especially trees which were under five years of age, could also die if the water shortage continues, the garden's conservation head Sudjati Budi Susetyo said on Thursday.

Sudjati said the water shortage was caused by a decrease in water supply from nearby Cibalok river.

"The volume of the water has decreased and it is also polluted by domestic waste," he said.

The scarcity of water has affected nearby Bogor Presidential Palace which could threaten the lives of hundreds of deer in the palace grounds.-JP