Hotels, Yogya Residents Fight over Groundwater
June 07, 2015
“The many of the conflicts happen in Yogayakarta and Sleman Regency,” said Bambang Wahyu Indria, Head of Damage Control and Environment Conservation of Yogyakarta administration.
According to Bambang, 66 percent Yogyakarta water demand is supplied by the residents’ water well, 9 percent is supplied by the State-owned Water Supply Company, 14 percent is supplied by packaged water, 3 percent by rain water, and 8 percent by other sources.
“BLH is seeking a way to increase the use of edible rain water to supply daily water needs,” said Bambang.
In addition to the conflict, Bambang added, the lacking of people’s awareness to maintain the water reserves is also become a factor.
“Yogyakarta can only provide 23.7 percent (75,995 hectares) of vegetation area,” Bambang said, adding that Yogyakarta needs 30 percent (95,574 hectares) vegetation covering.
Ni Made Dwipanti, the Head of Facilities and Ifrastructure Unite of Yogyakarta Development Planning Agency, said some hotels are indeed recorded as breaching the spatial planning policy. Warning letters have been sent but no legal actions have been taken yet against the perpretators.
Dwipanti said that Yogyakarta is indeed being directed to be a goods and services trade zone. However, the existence of water reserves should be taken into consideration. For example, if the water source is overexploited in one area, it will affect water availability in other area.
Source: en.tempo.co
