O

ver the past month, scores of people who rely on groundwater in one village near Bogor that prides itself as the “city of rain” have experienced an unlikely water crisis.

In Grogol, Limo subdistrict in Depok, West Java, water pumps have been drawing hardly any water even though rainfall remains reasonably high. Water trickles into residents’ tanks during the night and stops during the day.

The actual cause of the issue has yet to be established, but residents suspect that the culprit is the ongoing construction of a Depok-Antasari toll road running through their village.

The project involves land excavations people think have drained their sources.

Muhammad Rohman, one of the affected residents, said he had been experiencing a water crisis since last month when the soil excavation near his house began. The 56-year-old has to save water every night to meet his family’s needs.

“The water pressure is extremely low,” Rohman said on Tuesday.

Reporting the same issue is Sri Wahyuni, 46, who lives close to the project.

“I hope the local administration finds a solution. We can’t continue to be in this situation,” she said.

Along with his neighbors, Sri and Rohman have raised their complaint with the local authorities, hoping that they would discuss it with the Depok-Antasari toll operator PT Citra Waspphutowa.

Grogol village chief Danudin Amin, who has received reports from residents about their common plight, said more than 40 families had been affected.

On Friday, he asked the company to look into residents’ assumption that the toll road project was to blame for the water woes, but the management advised that he file an official letter of request — which he did on Monday but has yet to receive a response.

“Locals have never experienced this problem before. Despite a prolonged dry season, groundwater normally remains abundant,” Danudin told The Jakarta Post.

“I just want to discuss the issue together and I want to know what solutions the company will offer.”

The Depok-Antasari, or Desari, Toll Road, is a 21.5-kilometer highway connecting South Jakarta with Depok and Bogor. The toll road will extend from Jl. Pangeran Antasari in South Jakarta to Depok.

Urban analyst from Trisakti University Yayat Supriatna also suspects that the project has disrupted water catchment areas along the road under construction. He said if his assumption was true, it would reveal that the project has been implemented without proper feasibility studies.

“That’s the most likely cause of the water issue faced by communities near such projects. This problem often occurs in highway constructions,” Yayat said.

He suggested the company provide corporate social responsibility programs for residents, such as building public wells to be shared by the impacted community if the project was the cause of the problem.

Yayat also proposed that the company reassess the project if there are strong indications that it adversely impacts water catchments.

The Post contacted Citra Waspphutow for comments on the issue but the company did not give any response. (das)