Following the Jakarta administration’s attempt to limit the use of groundwater to avoid land subsidence, Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno said he would switch to using pipe water at his private home.

Sandiaga admitted on Tuesday that his private luxury property on Jl. Pulo Bangkeng in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, was sucking up groundwater. 

“I want to stop the use of groundwater and switch to pipe water supplied by city-owned water company PAM Jaya,” Sandiaga told journalists.

The Jakarta administration has started an initiative recently to visit buildings that violated regulations on the use of groundwater. From March 12 to March 21, special teams comprising officials from, among others, the Spatial Land Agency, the Water Resource Agency and the Environment Agency will visit 80 buildings along Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman to check whether or not they violated the regulations.

Gubernatorial Decree No. 38/2017 on groundwater tax collection stipulates that any institution of people using groundwater for basic household needs, agricultural and fisheries irrigation and worship should pay some amount of tax.