JOINT EFFORTS NEEDED TO REPAIR DAMAGED RIVER AREAS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 6 (ANTARA) - About 60 percent of Indonesia's 458 river basin areas (DAS) which have the function to hold water during the rainy season and distribute it during the dry spells are now reportedly damaged. This raises concerns as it causes floods when heavy rain falls and water scarcity when dry season comes.

        Therefore, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, stressed the importance of repairing damaged river flow areas and included the issue in his messages to the people to save the planet earth when he addressed a function held to observe Environment Day at the State Palace on Friday.

        Citing an example, the president touched on the need to repair the environment in the Bengawan Solo river flow area. "There are parts of the Bengawan Solo river flow areas in East and Central Java that are seriously damaged. If they are not repaired they will continue to cause floods every year," the president said.

        The government estimates that about 63 river flow areas in Indonesia are in critical condition as the ratio between their minimum and maximum water volumes now exceeds 50 percent.

        "Ideally the ratio should not be more than 30 percent. If it has risen to 62 percent, it means that the basins concerned are in very critical or 'knocked-out' condition," Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said.

        Forestry Ministry's data showed that about 60 percent of 458 river basin areas (DAS) found in various parts of Indonesia are now in damaged condition.

        "Damage to DAS areas is probably more than 60 percent. We are still making an inventory of DAS in bad condition," River Basin Management Director of the Forestry Ministry Dr Silver Hutabarat said recently.

        Some have reached the critical condition (stage I) while others are still in stage II. "They are damaged due to exploitation of man and pressure of natural disasters. But most of the damage is likely due to human acts," Hutabarat said.

        In Central Java for example, a total of 35 of the 128 river basins are now in critical condition as a result of sand mining and illegal logging by the local people.

        Chairman of the Development Resources Research Center (LPPSP) Kertari said not long ago that sand and stone mining as well as illegal logging were still going on in the region while the local people were not yet aware of the importance of preservation of areas prone to environment damage.

        In addition to the river problem in Central Java, Minister Kirmanto cited a river in West Java. The minister pointed as an example to the Cimanuk river flow area in Sumedang district, West Java, which was now in critical condition.

        He said one of the steps taken to handle critical river flow areas was to build dams but the problem was that not all river flow areas were topographically suitable for dam construction.

        Kirmanto said Indonesia was the world's fifth biggest country in terms of hosting flowing surface water that should enable the people to manage and utilize the conditions.

        The minister said that all of the country's areas had been divided into respective river basin areas which were managed by their own respective River Basin Management Unit appointed through a decision letter.

        He said that the success of each of the river basin management unit could be seen from its ability to manage the available potentials efficiently in improving the quality of water.

        "The way is to improve damaged forests, build check dams, and developing reservoirs," the minister said. The minister said that efforts to repair the critical conditions of river basin areas could not be handled by the government alone. The people and businesses should be involved as well.

        "We could only provide the infrastructure facilities while their preservation and maintenance are fully handed over to the people who so far have been utilizing them," the minister said.

        Forestry Ministry's DAS Management Director Hutabarat said that damage would have impact not only on triggering floods and landslides but also on causing drought, poverty and health problems as it would reduce land productivity and water sources.

        Floods and landslides hit various parts of the country during the rainy season and drought affected crops during the dry spells because river basin areas could no longer hold water when rain falls and channel it when dry season comes.

        Therefore the DAS management should be done by all stakeholders because restoring the function of damaged DAS areas should not be done unilaterally. There are many parties involved such as the agriculture, plantation, mining and health services.

        "So, a concerted effort must be made in handling damaged DAS areas, particularly those already in stage I," Hutabarat said.

        According to President Yudhoyono, the Indonesia people should make joint efforts to repair the environment which had been damaged so far.

        "Let us repair it in the right way by changing our lifestyle, providing a budget, entering into international cooperation and seeking the appropriate technology to overcome all the problems," he said.***3*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/15:55/a014)