Poor coordination among ministries and uncontrolled land use has contributed to the degradation of river basins and subsequent runoff of toxic material into rivers, experts say.

"There are no integrated methods for managing river basins yet. All the programs run independent of each other," Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban told a two-day seminar on river management in Jakarta on Tuesday.

A total 282 of 458 river basins are in a critical condition, he said.

"We first must prioritize the rehabilitation of 60 river basins which are in serious need," he said.

Kaban said the number of basins requiring immediate assistance continued to grow each year, particularly following natural disasters such as landslides, floods and generalized water shortages.

The river basin is the area of land surrounding a body of water where precipitation from rain and snow drains downhill into the river, lake or ocean.

The Forestry Ministry is responsible for monitoring the quality of forests in river basin areas, the Public Works Ministry with ensuring water supply to rivers and the State Ministry of the Environment for determining the quality of water passing into the river.

"My ministry has begun rehabilitating some forests along the basin but we will only see the results over the next five to 10 years," Kaban said.

The 2007 State of Environment Report in Indonesia revealed that the quality of water in rivers, basins and small lakes continued to be severely polluted by domestic and industrial waste despite remaining the main source of drinking water.

The report's findings -- based on surveys of 33 rivers in the country's 30 provinces -- found that most rivers had been contaminated from moderate to severe levels.

Noted environmentalist Emil Salim said the reason behind the poor standard of basins was because the ministries of forestry and public works were poorly coordinated.

"We need a national forum on river basin management and I am ready to chair it," said Emil, who is the presidential adviser on environmental issues.

The National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) Director of Forest and Water, Basah Hernowo, said the rehabilitation of water basins was not a top priority for the two institutions.

"The forestry ministry inadequately funds projects to improve the water basins, while the public works ministry still focuses on building infrastructure," he said.

"Everybody expresses concerns (over river basins) but nobody takes any action."

He said Indonesia needed real action to protect basin areas because some regions could face water scarcity in the coming years.

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