Water campaign needs law

Water campaign needs law

JAKARTA (JP): The national campaign to save water is doomed to
fail without adequate public awareness and participation,
Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah has warned.

Addressing a seminar on the campaign last week, Sjarifudin
said that Indonesia needs a water preservation law to make the
campaign a success.

The campaign was launched by President Soeharto on Nov. 16,
1994, to direct the attitudes of government officials, businesses
and the public toward the efficient use of water.

Many parts of Indonesia were hard hit by prolonged water
shortages between 1991 and 1994 and droughts have been
detrimental to the production of rice.

According to Sjarifudin, one main obstacle facing the campaign
is how to preserve water resources without affecting the people's
daily lives.

"Many of us are not ready to shower once a day," he said,
adding that it will be even more difficult to save water without
affecting agricultural activities.

The seminar was co-sponsored by the Indonesian Association of
Agro-Meteorologists, the Indonesian Association of Agronomists
and the Indonesian Association of Agro-Economics. (14)