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)