Elly Burhaini Faizal in the Jakarta Post: Improving water resources management and services will be critical to better protect Indonesian people against droughts in the future, an activist has warned. Hamong Santoso from the People’s Coalition for the Right to Water (KRuHA), said on Monday that the government had not so far prioritized improvements to water resources management and services.“No critical thought has been given by leaders in this country to reflect their huge concern that water is a basic need for the Indonesian people,” Hamong told The Jakarta Post. He cited as an example that at least 10 ministries are responsible for water resources management, incorporating the supply, protection and delivery of water, as well as water distribution.
“It seems that they work without any coordination. As a result, people face market mechanisms in their efforts to get clean water both for their daily domestic needs and agriculture, especially in worsening situations, such as this long dry spell,” said Hamung.
According to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Central Java has faced long dry periods more than 300 times during the last 20 years, followed by West Java with 278 times, and 156 times in East Java. Drought-associated problems occur in the same locations year after year. During the past few weeks, residents in Sumatra and Java have suffered from the drying up of clean water supplies as the dry season has depleted water resources....
A hydroelectric station at Malabar between 1920 and 1930, from the Tropenmuseum Collection via Wikimedia Commons
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