Kardono : Condition Of Water Resource In Indonesia And Its Environmental … ... JAI Vol. 3 , No.2 2007 CONDITION OF WATER RESOURCE IN INDONESIA AND ITS ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY By : Kardono Center of Environmental Technology Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) Abstract Water resource is one of the most important resources for life and development. In Indonesia, the increasing population and development results the increased demand of water. On the other hand, water resource availability has become limited and has been at critical level for several locations. Around 65% Indonesian population (~ 125 Million people) live in Java island which is only 7% of total Indonesia continental area. The decrease of water resource is caused by some factors, namely pollution, deforestation, heavy agricultural activities, and the change of the function of catchment area. This paper will give some brief description how water resource in Indonesia distributes and what the appropriate technologies have been used for the treatment of low quality of water in order to fulfill the human life needs. Keywords: water resource, pollution, climate change, health impact. 1. INTRODUCTION water purification which most countries cannot afford it. As an island country, Indonesia is Even though the water resource is vulnerable to climate change. At present, the becoming scarcity, its consumption has occurrences of extreme climate events have increased twice in the last 50 years. At the same caused serious impact in many sectors, including time the gap of water consumption between clean water resource availability. Indonesia has people of the rich countries and those of the poor taken into serious attention to that sector. How countries is very high. Nowadays, about 1.2 the government could adapt or cope with such billion world’s population do not have an access events in order to lower the impact of the climate to the clean water and almost twice of those change is one of the main government policies. numbers do not have proper basic sanitation Many programs have been implemented but facilities. most of them tend practically more to curative than to preventive actions. Also, better adaptive 2. WATER RESOURCE IN INDONESIA capacity has not been developed yet and therefore it needs to develop planning horizon, Currently, water resource potency and which are: (a) how far should it be projected into availability in Indonesia is around 15,000 m3 per the future risk on water supply?; (b) for how long capita per year. It is much higher than the does the impact of the climate change average global water supply of only 8,000 m3 per associated with a water resource and supply capita per year. Java island in 1930 was still able last?, and (c) when should the new policy be to supply around 4,700 m3 water per capita per introduced to mitigate the possible impact of year, and at present it supplies only one-third incoming climate change? (1,500 m3 water per capita per year) of that In terms of health impact, WHO said that amount. In year 2020 total potency of water 2 (two) billion people have diarrhea and other supply in Java island will decrease to 1,200 m3 stomach diseases due to the water and food they per capita per year. From this amount of the consume. These diseases mainly cause death of potential water, only 35% is economically more than 5 million children annually. Water feasible to be treated as clean water supply so resources that are already in limited capacity are its actual potency is only 400 m3 per capita per polluted with industrial waste that is not treated year. It is far much lower the minimum properly before discharging into water body. If it requirement suggested by the United Nations is not radically changed in managing water, it that is 1,000 m3 per capita per year. Therefore in cannot be used anymore without employing a 2025, International Water Institute reported that very intensive and expensive technology for Java and other islands of Indonesia are considered to be as water crisis regions. 111 Kardono : Condition Of Water Resource In Indonesia And Its Environmental … ... JAI Vol. 3 , No.2 2007 According to Water Resources Surface water scatters in the river (5.886 units), Development report (1990), Java experienced and lake, dam, wetland (33 million hectares). water supply deficit. Of 66,336 Million m3 Around 64 of total 470 watersheds in Indonesia required, only 43,952 Million m3 was supplied in are in critical condition. Of 64 those critical 1990. Joko Pitono (2003) also reported that watersheds are 12 areas in Sumatera, 26 areas during 1993 dry season, as many as 75% of in Java , 10 areas in Kalimantan, 10 areas in Java area experienced water deficit and would Sulawesi, 4 areas in Bali, NTB and NTT, 4 areas have increased the following years. The office of in Maluku, and 2 areas in Papua. Ministry of Environment (1977) on the other hand The water flow rate of many rivers in Java predicted that water supply deficit had not highly fluctuates between rainy and dry seasons. occurred yet in Indonesia, except for islands of Table 1 shows the flow rate of rivers in 2004 and Java, Bali (started in 2000) and Sulawesi and 2005 measured at the rainy season (maximum East Nusa Tenggara (starting in 2015). value) and at the dry season (minimum value). It is classical reason that the high number For example, in Citarum river of West Java of population is the main cause of the water where water power generation takes place the supply deficit. The land conversion from water flow rate during rainy season (maximum) is agricultural and forest land to other forms of uses around 240 m3/s whereas during dry season has been increasing, so that the water resource (minimum) is only around 10 m3/s. In outside has been decreasing. In average, about 50,000 Java, the river water flow rate does not very hectares of agricultural land is converted into much fluctuate between rainy and dry seasons. non-agricultural lands yearly. Degradation of For example for Babak river in Lombok island, watershed area has been increasing from year to the water flow rate during rainy season is 587 year. Land use change from agriculture to non- m3/s and it is till 274 m3/s during dry season. The agriculture causes in decreasing forestry area, reason is that the land use and land use change increasing in intensity of land utilization, and in outside Java island are still moderate whereas decreasing in soil and water conservation. Such in Java is already very intensive. conditions intensively increase the degradation of natural resources and environment and finally 3. WATER POLLUTION cause the natural disasters such as flood, drought, pollution, eutrophication and Water resources are utilized by people for sedimentation. variety of purposes, such as for transportation, Water resource is divided into surface for generating electricity, for industrial need, and water (lake, situ, dam/reservoir, river), ground for tourism. Water and culture are always water, and precipitation/rain. Principle of water connected each other. At this present time for management follows these principles of example, three big cities of Java (Jakarta, continuity, balancing, public advantage, unity, Semarang and Surabaya) have tended to be harmony, justice, autonomy, as well as polluted by wastes from industries, domestics, transparency and accountability. River area is and agricultures. These wastes have indicated defined as river location in one District/City, inter- serious water pollution on the environment Districts/Cities, inter-Provinces, inter-states, and because they are discharged into the rivers and national strategic river area. Ground water basin oceans without any proper treatment. includes ground water in one District/City, inter- Domestic waste from business offices and Districts/Cities, inter-Provinces, inter-States, and households also contribute significantly for these national strategic river area. water pollutions. The amount of the waste Water resource conservation is aimed to discharged into the water body has increased as preserve the continuous existence of support a function of increasing population and capacity, reservoir capacity, and function of development of the cities. These bad water resource. Water resource conservation is environmental conditions are increased due to carried out through activities of water resource very low participation of the people to manage protection and continuity, water preservation, as their waste. They often just throw away their well as water quality management and water waste into the river without any guilty feeling. pollution control that follow the design of water Therefore, the water pollution has been resource management determined for each river becoming higher and higher, particularly in big basin/area. Criteria of water resource cities of Indonesia. Very dense population and conservation become reference in space bad sanitation in some cities in Indonesia as well planning. as industrial waste discharged directly into water The potency of Indonesian surface water body without prior treatment have caused is 1.789 billion m 3 per year, located in Papua pollution in most rivers in those cities. (1.401 x 109 m3 per year), Kalimantan (557 x 109 Waste water from big cities of Indonesia, m3 per year), Java (118 x 109 m3 per year). particularly Jakarta can basically be categorized 112 Kardono : Condition Of Water Resource In Indonesia And Its Environmental … ... JAI Vol. 3 , No.2 2007 into three groups: (i) industrial waste, (ii) prepared for drinking water has been highly domestic waste from households, and (iii) polluted. A survey done by Public Work commercial waste. In addition to pollution of Department of Jakarta and JICA (1989), reported industrial waste the pollution of domestic waste that the average household water waste has indicated serious problem.