Java to Experience Clean Water Scarcity in 2015, Expert Says

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Robertus Wahyudi Triweko, professor of engineering and water resources management from Parahyangan University, said that the Island of Java will suffer from clean water crisis by 2015. Based on the research by the Environment Ministry office, clean water supply in Java next year is estimated to be at 30,569 million cubic meters per year, or equals to 18.5 percent of the total water requirement next year, which is 164,672 cubic meters. "Java will have 134,103 million cubic meters water deficit next year," he said in Jakarta on Monday, November 24, 2014.

According to Robertus, clean water availability in Indonesia, especially in Java, is facing a threat because of population distribution and unequal economic activities. Around 60 percent of the Indonesian population lives in Java, the country's administrative, trade and industrial center. Land conversions from agricultural to residential, industrial and urban areas directly affect water quality because of household and industrial waste pollution.

Robertus said that other than Java, clean water scarcity next year would also occur in Sulawesi, Bali and East Nusa Tenggara. Meanwhile, oversupply of clean water will be experienced by Papua, which has 350,590 million cubic meters of water supply per year, while it will only need 1,130 million cubic meters in 2015. "There is 349,279 million cubic meters of water surplus [in Papua]," said Robertus.

Mudjiadi, the director general of water resources at the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, said that the chance for Java to overcome water scarcity was almost non-existent because there is no more location to build a reservoir.

DEVY ERNIS