Global warming threatens groundwater supply

JAKARTA: Not only is global warming putting thousands of Indonesia's islands at risk of sinking, it also threatens the country's groundwater supply, an expert says.

Heru Hendrayana, a hydrogeologist from Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University, said here Friday that groundwater volume in a number of regions has reduced in the past few years, believed to be an impact of the warming earth.

"Global warming has led to climate change, which has immense influence upon the water cycle. It disrupts the wind and air pressure patterns and, in the end, causes changes in rainfall volume," Heru said at a discussion on drinking water in Jakarta.

He said although some regions enjoyed more rainfall due to the phenomenon, most suffered from less rain. The reduced groundwater volume is evident in Yogyakarta and its surrounding areas, among others, he added.

Pollution is also a threat to Indonesia's groundwater supply, especially in urban areas. Most groundwater in metropolitan cities like Jakarta, Semarang and Surabaya were contaminated with E. coli bacteria because of poor sanitation, not to mention its vulnerability to seawater intrusion.

The growing number of industries, gas stations, and car washes in big cities has exacerbated the threat, said Heru, who is currently studying their impact on groundwater supply.

To make matters worse, big cities, which are typically crowded with buildings, lack the capacity to absorb rainwater. Heru said urban areas could only absorb 20 percent of the rainwater, compared with 30 percent for suburban and 40 percent for rural areas- JP