Has Issued Groundwater Permit Rules, There Is An Appeal For Industry

Groundwater (Photo: dock. Ministry of PUPR)

Since 2022, the management of groundwater licensing under the authority of the central government has been mandated to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) through the Geological Agency. To improve public understanding during the period 2023, the Geological Agency has carried out socialization activities for groundwater licensing in several locations in Indonesia.

Head of the Center for Groundwater and Environmental Management (PATGTL) Ediar Usman added that the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has issued regulations related to groundwater management to protect the public from the negative impact of excessive groundwater exploitation. "Restrictions to protect the community from excessive exploitation of groundwater, therefore we need to control it, we must really pay attention to existing reserves," said Ediar.

For areas with critical reserves, Ediar suggested that large industries not take advantage of groundwater, but use surface water, such as lake water and rivers so that community needs are protected.

"Reservoirs taken from the ground will require a long process to be refilled, even hundreds or millions of years. So if it is taken not quickly, it will be filled, so now there are regulations to regulate it to prevent the deficit from being too far away," he concluded. Eidar quoted Monday, January 22.

Just so you know, throughout 2023 the Geological Agency has processed landwater licensing of 8,047 permits.

Landwater investigations are also being carried out which produce 27 recommendations and carry out the construction of the Groundwater Monitoring Network on 3 groundwater basins.

"The total application for a Groundwater Concession Permit (oss.go.id) in 2023 will reach 8,047. Of that number, 7,910 of them have been processed, 137 are in process and 2,707 permit proposals have been rejected," said Acting Head of the Geological Agency, Muhammad Wafid.

Wafid added that his party is also aggressively conducting sociations to increase public understanding of groundwater licensing.

"In 2023, socializing offline groundwater licensing in 19 locations, namely Jakarta, Surabaya, Bali, Ngawi, Padang, Jambi, Madiun, Blitar, Tuban, Mojokerto, Boyolali, Semarang, Kuningan, Garut, Serang, Bandung, Bogor, Pangkal Pinang and Malang," concluded Wafid.