T

he central government should immediately pass the stalled regulation on the Citarum River basin area management, says a sociologist.

Padjadjaran University Community Service Research Institute secretary Chay Asdak said that a regulation was drafted in 2005 but it had not been approved.

He blamed the rivalry between the Forestry and Public Works Ministries for stalling the passing of the regulation, saying both ministries had special interests in the area.

"The Public Works Ministry has interests in water distribution and consumption, while the Forestry Ministry has interests in production," said Chay, who in 2005 was involved in drafting the regulation.

He criticized the government's "indecision", saying the regulation was crucial to curbing the worsening condition of the upstream areas of the Citarum River.

"The government bylaw would regulate the presence of stakeholders with similar concerns, such as NGOs and the business sector," he said.

Chay added that the degradation of the river basin now meant that 20 percent of the Citarum river basin area alone (142,150 hectares, the largest compared to other rivers in West Java) could be considered critical upstream areas.

"In total, there are around 240,000 hectares of critial areas in West Java," he said.

Poor management of the area around the Citarum River has been blamed for recent floods in Karawang regency, the worst in 15 years. The disaster forced thousands of people to flee to safety.

Chay said environmental degradation in the Citarum River basin area affected 718,268 hectares spread over eight regencies and municipalities.

He said forested areas had shrunk by 54 percent and farmland by 55 percent, while residential and industrial areas had increased by 233 percent and 869 percent, respectively.

He blamed the worsening condition on the rivalry between the West Java Forestry Agency and state forestry company Perhutani that began during at the end of the new order administration, when local communities began exploiting land by converting forests.

"At that time, 41,000 people cleared 15,000 hectares of forest in Bandung regency," he said.

Chay added that the regulation would ensure effective and transparent fund management for the restoration of the river basin area.

"The management of funds other than the provincial budget should be handled by a trusted, independent institution," he said.

West Java Forestry Agency head Anang Sudarna said his office intended to work with local communities to restore the river basin area.