T

he Jakarta administration is set to revise Bylaw No. 10/1998 on ground and surface water tax collection and utilization following the annulment of Law No. 7/2004 on water resources by the Constitutional Court.

The court reinstated Law No. 11/1974 on water, granting the arguments of the plaintiffs, who insisted that the 2004 law had encouraged privatization and commercialization of water resources at the expense of people'€™s right to water.

Water Management Agency head Agus Priyono said he was worried that the old water law would give rise to more groundwater extraction. In the revision, Agus said that the city would limit the utilization of ground water in order to reduce land subsidence.

'€œLand subsidence has been a problem in Jakarta, and it doesn'€™t help that many offices and residences utilize too much ground water. Hopefully, we can complete the revision soon,'€ Agus told reporters at City Hall on Friday.