Antara 14 Oct 11;
Semarang, C Java (ANTARA News) - Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said there was a total of 15 lakes in different parts of Indonesia that were now in critical condition and urgently needed to be rehabilitated.
"The lakes are located in various parts of the country such as Lake Rawa Pening in Central Java and Lake Toba in North Sumatra," the minister said after opening the second National Conference on Indonesian Lakes (KNDI) here on Friday.
He said that the efforts to restore the lakes critical conditions would be made in the short and long terms schemes.
In the short term, the lakes for example would be cleaned from water hyacinth plants because the trash from hyacinth was big so far and affect the water supply of lakes.
He said that the handling of Central Java`s Lake Rawa Pening whose condition was very critical would be prioritized and be done immediately, of course with the assistance of the local government.
The minister on the occasion also appreciated the Batam authorities` step to increase the number of its dams from the previous five reservoirs to seven dams. Thus, the need for water of the local people would be met until 2013.
"Now Batam has added two dams to its reservoirs so that it now has seven dams. I appreciate the step and hope that other regions will follow suit," the minister said.(*)
Editor: Heru
Lake Jatiluhur fishes die of oxygen shortage : official
Antara 15 Oct 11;
Jatiluhur, W Java (ANTARA News) - The mass fish deaths in Lake Jatiluhur, Purwakarta district, West Java, over the past several days was due to shortage of oxygen, a fishery official said.
"The death of the fishes was due to oxygen shortage following the drop of the water level of the reservoir," Komaran, head of fishery and animal husbandry service of the Purwakarta, said here on Friday.
The fish deaths occurred in a number of sections of the lake such as in Blok Cibinong, Kaleosan and Pasirjangkung. "Golden fishes which were ready to be harvested died in the shallow sections of the Lake due to drought," he said.
"The fishes are sick in the first place and then they die due to lack of oxygen," Danu, a fish breeder, said.
He said his fishes were safe because the location of his fish breeding activity was located in the relatively deep section.
Komaran said the mass fish deaths occurred in several parts of the Lake whose depth was not enough for fish, due to depreciation of the water volume of the lake.
He said that fishermen were accustomed to tfish deaths and they knew how to prevent then.
Reverse currents in Lake Jatiluhur often caused the death of thousands of tons of fish which happened at the peak of the rainy season at the end of the beginning of the year. (*)
Editor: B Kunto Wibisono
Over 21 pct of RI`s population still without clean water
Antara 13 Oct 11;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Some 60 million people or 21.16 percent of Indonesia`s 230 million population still have no access to clean water, Deputy National Development Planning Minister Lukita Dinarsyah Tuwo said here on Thursday.
These people`s clean water needs must be met in order to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target in the clean water and sanitation sectors by 2015, he said.
"This means clean water infrastructure development should be accelerated," Tuwo said at a national conference on drinking water and sanitation affairs or KSAN here.
KSAN data showed that until the end of 2009 the national coverage of drinking water sources was only 47.71 percent, while the feasible basic sanitation facilities only reached 51.19 percent.
"This is of course very alarming considering that the MDGs target in the water supply and sanitation sectors is to reduce by 50 percent the number of the population who have no access to drinking water sources and basic sanitation by 2015," he added.
(Uu.SDP-09/B003/HAJM/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
