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Households must seek govt approval for high-volume groundwater usage
While officials have noted that few households will extract enough water to necessitate the permit, some analysts have criticized the regulation as unnecessary and unfair in a country where less than a quarter of the population has access to clean piped water.
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A resident pumps water using a hand pump in Petamburan, Jakarta, on Oct. 30, 2023. (Antara/M Mardiansyah Al Afghani)
A new government regulation requires households across the country to obtain permits to extract groundwater beyond a certain volume.
While officials have noted that few households will extract enough water to necessitate the permit, some analysts have criticized the regulation as unnecessary and unfair in a country where less than a quarter of the population has access to clean piped water.
The policy, as stipulated in an Energy and Mineral Resources Ministerial decree signed in September, requires individuals, groups or legal entities that extract at least 100 cubic meters of groundwater per month to apply for a permit.
The requirement also applies to smallholder farmers whose farms lie outside the existing irrigation system, as well as public facilities, government institutions and non-commercial tourism and public spaces.
Permit applicants must give a detailed explanation of how they will extract and use the ground water, attach proof of land ownership and provide a statement of willingness to dig infiltration wells if their request is approved by authorities. Infiltration wells are used reintroduce surface water more quickly into the ground, replenishing and preserving groundwater.
Additionally, permit holders must also allow officials to regularly monitor their groundwater usage.
Read also: From colonial rule to Jokowi administration, clean water is still not for all
