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Stronger irrigation management needed
Water is related to all living things, so water is a factor that influences the development of various sectors. One of them is the agricultural sector in meeting the needs of crops for the food needs of communities. A serious threat the sector currently faces is the decreasing availability of water, so efforts are needed to use water appropriately.
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Several farmers plant paddy under the subak system in Jatiluwih, Tabanan, Bali. Subak, a traditional farming and irrigation system used in Bali, was placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2012. (JP/Agung Parameswara )
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ater is related to all living things, so water is a factor that influences the development of various sectors. One of them is the agricultural sector in meeting the needs of crops for the food needs of communities. A serious threat the sector currently faces is the decreasing availability of water, so efforts are needed to use water appropriately. The problem of water availability to meet various water needs, especially in rice fields, is increasingly complex. Existing river systems need to be managed carefully by considering social, economic and environmental aspects in order to maintain the sustainability of water use itself.
Water conservation through effective management and efficient use is a very necessary and urgent matter. Water management is part of water conservation programs that fully maintain, rehabilitate and utilize existing water sources effectively and efficiently for the welfare of the community. This activity is needed to reduce the pollution of water resources due to overexploitation in order to meet the increasing needs of a community.
Water resources management requires an integrated, comprehensive and holistic approach that offers a balance between engineering, social and economic factors and must be environmentally sound in order for it to be sustainable. Water resources management needs to be based on a participatory approach made by all stakeholders because water is a public property.
All public decisions must pay attention to the interests of the community through public consultation, so that any policies to be implemented are accepted by the community.
Four types of irrigation systems are used to drain water from dams to paddy fields, namely primary, secondary, tertiary and quarter.
At the primary level, water management is carried out by the central government. At the secondary level, management is carried out by local governments. In the tertiary and quarter levels, the system is managed by farmers.
Many areas face barriers to water availability for irrigated agriculture. In addition, unpredictable climate change is increasingly hampering Indonesia’s efforts to increase food production, so the government must continue to improve its irrigation systems in order to strengthen food security and reduce poverty in rural areas.
