Good intentions not enough to make water solutions work

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 03/20/2007 4:13 PM  |  Jakarta

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When it comes to achieving a healthy balance between development and the environment, officials' good intentions are not enough.

The State Ministry for the Environment on Thursday postponed the planned inspections of properties in South Jakarta because city officials failed to show up.

The purpose of the inspections was to identify properties that do not have a percolation pit.

The ministry said the delay was due to the absence of Jakarta administration officials.

""We need to coordinate the program with the BPLHD Jakarta as well as the administrations of the municipalities where the checks are to be carried out,"" Dida Gardera, the ministry's spokeswoman, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) is the unit of the Jakarta administration that is responsible for enforcing building codes, including the installation of rainwater harvesting systems.

The ministry had said it would be carrying out building inspections in South Jakarta, including at Cilandak Town Square (Citos) and the Pondok Indah housing complex, on Thursday.

Agency chairman Budirama Natakusumah was away in Bali on Thursday.

The ministry also failed to deliver on its promise to build 10 percolation pits on the grounds of the Presidential Palace and five at the Vice President's office.

Since the devastating floods in Jakarta last month, a number of experts have spoken of the need to alleviate flood risks by collecting water and storing it for later use.

They argue that percolation systems provide numerous benefits and advantages, including replenishing groundwater supplies and controlling on-site drainage, which reduces a property's flood risk.

""Percolation systems are an easy and cost-effective way of saving water in urban areas,"" said Agus Maryono of Gadjah Mada University at his recent presentation.

In his book ""Methods of harvesting and using rainwater to supply clean water and prevent floods and droughts, Agus compares a number of rainwater collection systems.

The first is digging ponds to collect roof runoff for use in dry months.

""The pond system has been traditionally used for supplying drinking water in Pidie, Aceh, and in Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta,"" he said.

In Jakarta, government and private offices use the method to collect and store rainwater, thus reducing their dependency on city reserves.

""They can reduce their spending on water from the city tap water operator. Harvested rain can be used for at least seven months,"" he said.

Harvesting and storing rainwater in ponds is also effective in industrial areas where water usage is high.

Agus said the system was used in Japan to trap rainwater from roads, which was later used to water lawns and gardens.

""The government needs to develop the method in order to reduce dependency on groundwater,"" he said.

Agus said the percolation system was best suited to Jakarta.

He said the system involved channeling rainwater into pits with depths of between two and three meters.

""The pits can only be filled with rainwater. Surface water would contaminate the groundwater. Many people are still confused about it (the system),"" he said.

The pits must be located, constructed and operated in a way that protects the water quality of the aquifer.

In low-lying areas such as North Jakarta, shallower pits must be built.

He said percolation pits filtered out the suspended pollutants in water collected from the roof, which was particularly beneficial considering the excess acidity in the city's rainwater.

""The city's rainwater is no longer fit for drinking, mainly due to the high pollution levels here,""

He said capturing rainwater in drainage ditches was another option, which could also be used to support fish farming.

Agus said another means of collecting rainwater was increasing the number of grass-covered areas in the city.

Most pedestrian and parking areas have been concreted over or paved, which obstructs the infiltration of rainwater into the ground, he said.

Agus said the government also needed to establish rainwater harvesting zones.

""They (the zones) must be free from pollution and construction activities.

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