Exploitation Of Excessive Water, Land Surface Reduction In Jakarta Up To 6 Cm Per Year

Illustration of clean water (Photo: dock. KPUPR)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) issued the Decree of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Number 291.K/GL.01/MEM.G/2023 concerning the Standards for Implementing Approval for Groundwater Use.

Acting (Plt) Head of the Geological Agency Muhammad Wafid said that apart from using groundwater, it is also aimed at maintaining sustainability, it also prevents land subsidence caused by excessive retrieval.

Based on data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources during the 2015-2022 period in the Jakarta Land Basin area, the rate of land subsidence is between 0.04 and 6.30 cm per year. This decline has decreased compared to 1997 to 2005 where the rate of land subsidence is between 1-10 cm per year to 15-20 cm per year.

Wafid said that thanks to groundwater control, there was a groundwater recovery in the Jakarta Land Basin which continued to improve.

"In recent years, it has rebounded, experienced an increase in groundwater level of up to 5 meters and thank God, thank God it is part of management," said Wafid, quoted on Tuesday, November 14.

Wafid explained that this recovery was accelerated by controlling the use of ground water by the government by maximizing the use of surface water through the Regional Drinking Water Company (PDAM) and cooperation between the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the local Government.

However, Wafid also emphasized that groundwater extraction is not the only factor that drives the surface of the ground, but is also driven by other factors such as natural and tectonic compactification.

Apart from Jakarta, Wafid also detailed several areas with damaged groundwater basins, including CAT Semarang, CAT Karawang-Bekasi, CAT Serang -Tangerang, CAT Bogor, CAT Bandung - Soreang, CAT Pekalongan - Pemalang and CAT Palangkaraya - Banjarmasin.

According to him, this basin damage has an impact on groundwater contamination mixed with surface water.

"Between the aquifers above and below, they have mixed or experienced subsidence or land subsidence," he said.

Of several areas that suffered damage to ground water basins, Wafid said that the northern coastal area of Java Island was the area most visible as a result of CAT damage seen from land subsidence. He gave an example of several areas such as Semarang, Pekalongan, Demak and Sayung which have experienced land subsidence in recent times.

Meanwhile, the area that experienced the most severe damage was Pekalongan with a decrease of up to 10 cm per year.

For this reason, Wafid continued, groundwater control efforts must be carried out, thus allowing the process of recovering groundwater levels and slowing the rate of land subsidence.