Water resources not a luxury to be wasted

By George Sitania

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Water is a basic element of life; without it life would not exist. People can survive for weeks without food, but only a few days without water.

Water is the lifeblood of our planet. It is fundamental to the biochemistry of all living organisms. The planet's ecosystems are linked and maintained by water, it drives plant growth and provides a habitat for many species, such as 8,500 species of fish and most of the world's 4,200 known amphibians and reptiles.

Water is also a universal solvent and provides the major pathway for the flow of sediment nutrients and pollutants.

Of all the water on Earth, 97 percent of it is salty and found in the seas and oceans. Only the remaining 3 percent is freshwater, but most of that is trapped in the polar ice caps and underground, leaving as surface and atmospheric water a tiny proportion of that 3 percent. Yet about 12 percent of animal species, including 41 percent of all recognized fish species, live in the 0.08 percent of the world's freshwater available in river and lakes.

Globally, in terms of species per unit area, freshwater ecosystems are, on average, slightly richer than those on land and 15 times richer than the marine environment. In addition, all terrestrial species of plant, animal and human beings are dependent on the availability of freshwater.

In Indonesia, approximate yearly rainfall varies between 1,500 mm and 4,000 mm. With more than 5,590 main rivers, it has 10.272 cubic meters/per year/per capita of water availability. The supply of groundwater availability is 4,705 million cubic meters/per year.

March 22 is World Water Day, with this year's theme being groundwater. This special day will remind us of the loss of water resources, which are excessively used. The loss of water resources has occurred in some big cities in Indonesia, especially in Jakarta and Surabaya.

The levels of rivers and lakes have lowered, which affect paddy planting. There is less production of farmers' ponds, increased danger of fire and more air pollution. The increasing water acidity which recently occurred in the dry season has caused the death of freshwater species.

Things worsen as some swamps, lakes and mangroves are converted into malls, housing or industrial estates.

In Jakarta, ground absorption of rainwater has declined because there is no conservation area in the upriver region while the development of industries, buildings and houses continue. So, the water can no longer be absorbed by the soil, and inundates certain roads during the rainy season.

When water resources are excessively used, the usage becomes unsustainable. The use of artesian wells will also decrease groundwater quality and quantity, the water surface, and increase saltwater intrusion and coastal abrasion.

Water resources statistics are often provided on per capita basis. This represents an average across the entire population, giving the impression of equality in the availability of the resource, i.e. equal access and equal ability to pay if they are charged for the water.

Several studies show that the urban poor pay higher prices and spend proportionally more of their income on water.

Last year, 32 percent of the population in Jakarta bought water from street vendors at US$1.5 to $5.2 per cubic meter, some 25 to 50 times more than the 14 percent of households which receive water from the water company.

Water management is crucial to conserving our water resources. We have to manage swamps, lakes and rivers, and conserve our vegetation in the upper regions of rivers or mountains as reservoirs. It is also necessary to manage rainwater i.e. make absorption wells and water catchment basins, and to arrange zones of artesian wells. At the same time, we have to economize our water use.

Dissemination of information and improved awareness of water conservation is vital as many people, especially urbanists, do not understand fully the importance of water for our life.

The writer is communications officer of the Wetlands International project in Bogor.