Clean Water Crisis in Indonesia
Clean Water Crisis in Indonesia
By: Yvonne Rennesia Gulo
According to the water.org website, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country globally and claims Southeast Asia’s largest economy. About 18 million Indonesians lack safe water, and 20 million lack access to improved sanitation facilities. Governments worldwide are trying to navigate and solve the COVID-19 Pandemic, but in Indonesia, they lack access to life’s most critical resource – water.
One of 34 provinces - Java Island - has issues that they are still trying to solve. For many parts of Indonesia, one problem has become increasingly frequent: drought. Some of the worst water shortages are felt on Java – Indonesia’s most populous island, home to more than 60% of the population, many of its largest cities, and much of its agriculture. Java is one of the most populous counties where individuals decide to live. Millions of people living in Java have to face 
the truth that they have struggled for years to access water during the dry season.
Contamination of the river
One of the famous rivers - Cilemahabang River - located in Bekasi, Jakarta, Indonesia - has earned a nomination as one of the most polluted rivers in West Java due to industrial waste and urban garbage. Still, it appears that people living on its banks continue to depend on it for sanitation. Some residents in Sukaraya Village have no access to clean water and professionally managed sanitation services, and they use the Cilemahabang River as the primary water source. They wash their clothes, take a bath, and brush their teeth all at this one place. They said frankly that the water has been deteriorating and industrial waste from the nearby factory was the primary source of the pollution.
Earthquake Disaster
In 2004 and 2005, Indonesia faced the truth that Aceh and Nias received two significant disasters. The 26 December 2004 earthquake and tsunami killed 130,000 and left another 37,000 persons injured in Aceh province. The 28 May 2005 earthquake that hit the remote island of Nias in North Sumatra province killed 850 people and caused severe damage. Among all the local infrastructure, water services were severely damaged.
In 2018, We received news that Lombok had two earthquakes in the same month. When the second earthquake struck the island, the residents had yet to recover from the destruction caused by the 6.4-magnitude earthquake, resulting in more extensive infrastructural damage and a long series of aftershocks that traumatized the locals even more. The PDAM piping network suffered the most damage in the North Lombok regency. The destruction they receive forces them to recover from the earthquake and access the clean water easily, threatening the health of survivors as they are at greater risk of being affected by infectious diseases.
Filter Methods
There are several ways to filter the water. The first one is called Traditional water treatment methods. This method teaches us to boil the water because we want to disinfect water from microorganisms. The drawbacks of this method are it requires lots of fuel and cooking equipment, the water can still contain some particles, and boiling water does not eliminate chemical pollutants and heavy metals. Besides boiling, chlorine is more frequently used. Chlorine is one of the chemical purifiers widely used in the household, and it is lightweight, low cost, and easy to use. However, this chemical purifier contains poison, and adding too much can cause damage to the internal organs or even death.
The second method is called Advanced Water Purification Methods. Water purification means separating out the impurities from a water source. Most filtering elements are composed of ceramic, glass fiber, and hard-block carbon. Merits that we got after using ceramic are Simple system, inexpensive, and removing water-borne bacteria. Using ceramic methods is not as effective against viruses and does not remove chemical contaminants and colors.
Solve Water Crisis
People are curious to know what they should do to solve this problem, it’s not just the governors who solve this issue. As the citizens, we can also contribute by:
Educating to change consumption and lifestyles
Inventing new water conservation technologies
Recycling wastewater
Improving irrigation and agriculture
Having appropriately priced water
Developing energy efficient desalination plants
Improving water catchment and harvesting
Looking to community-based governance and partnerships
Water projects in developing countries / transfer of technology
Addressing pollution
Works Cited
“Indonesia’s Water Crisis - Indonesia’s Water Problems in 2020.” Water.org, water.org/our-impact/where-we-work/indonesia/.
“Clean Water Crisis in Indonesia.” Pureosity | Sivaniah Group, ICeMS, Kyoto University, pureosity.org/en/global-targets/clean-water-crisis-in-indonesia/.
“In Java, the Water Is Running Out.” Www.lowyinstitute.org, www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/in-java-water-is-running-out.
“Residents Depend on Polluted Cilemahabang River.” Jakarta Globe, jakartaglobe.id/vision/residents-depend-on-polluted-cilemahabang-river. Accessed 22 Dec. 2021.
Bank, Asian Development. “Indonesia: Making Water Supply and Sanitation Women’s Business in Aceh and Nias - 2010.” Asian Development Bank, 1 Oct. 2010, www.adb.org/results/indonesia-making-water-supply-and-sanitation-women-s-business-aceh-and-nias-2010. Accessed 22 Dec. 2021.
“Learn about the Indonesia Water Crisis.” WATEROAM, www.wateroam.com/social-awareness/the-water-crisis-indonesia.
Circle of Blue. “Experts Name the Top 19 Solutions to the Global Freshwater Crisis - Circle of Blue.” Circle of Blue, 5 Oct. 2018, www.circleofblue.org/2010/world/experts-name-the-top-19-solutions-to-the-global-freshwater-crisis/.
By: Yvonne Rennesia Gulo
According to the water.org website, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country globally and claims Southeast Asia’s largest economy. About 18 million Indonesians lack safe water, and 20 million lack access to improved sanitation facilities. Governments worldwide are trying to navigate and solve the COVID-19 Pandemic, but in Indonesia, they lack access to life’s most critical resource – water.
One of 34 provinces - Java Island - has issues that they are still trying to solve. For many parts of Indonesia, one problem has become increasingly frequent: drought. Some of the worst water shortages are felt on Java – Indonesia’s most populous island, home to more than 60% of the population, many of its largest cities, and much of its agriculture. Java is one of the most populous counties where individuals decide to live. Millions of people living in Java have to face
the truth that they have struggled for years to access water during the dry season. Contamination of the river
One of the famous rivers - Cilemahabang River - located in Bekasi, Jakarta, Indonesia - has earned a nomination as one of the most polluted rivers in West Java due to industrial waste and urban garbage. Still, it appears that people living on its banks continue to depend on it for sanitation. Some residents in Sukaraya Village have no access to clean water and professionally managed sanitation services, and they use the Cilemahabang River as the primary water source. They wash their clothes, take a bath, and brush their teeth all at this one place. They said frankly that the water has been deteriorating and industrial waste from the nearby factory was the primary source of the pollution.
Earthquake DisasterIn 2004 and 2005, Indonesia faced the truth that Aceh and Nias received two significant disasters. The 26 December 2004 earthquake and tsunami killed 130,000 and left another 37,000 persons injured in Aceh province. The 28 May 2005 earthquake that hit the remote island of Nias in North Sumatra province killed 850 people and caused severe damage. Among all the local infrastructure, water services were severely damaged.
In 2018, We received news that Lombok had two earthquakes in the same month. When the second earthquake struck the island, the residents had yet to recover from the destruction caused by the 6.4-magnitude earthquake, resulting in more extensive infrastructural damage and a long series of aftershocks that traumatized the locals even more. The PDAM piping network suffered the most damage in the North Lombok regency. The destruction they receive forces them to recover from the earthquake and access the clean water easily, threatening the health of survivors as they are at greater risk of being affected by infectious diseases.
Filter Methods
There are several ways to filter the water. The first one is called Traditional water treatment methods. This method teaches us to boil the water because we want to disinfect water from microorganisms. The drawbacks of this method are it requires lots of fuel and cooking equipment, the water can still contain some particles, and boiling water does not eliminate chemical pollutants and heavy metals. Besides boiling, chlorine is more frequently used. Chlorine is one of the chemical purifiers widely used in the household, and it is lightweight, low cost, and easy to use. However, this chemical purifier contains poison, and adding too much can cause damage to the internal organs or even death.
The second method is called Advanced Water Purification Methods. Water purification means separating out the impurities from a water source. Most filtering elements are composed of ceramic, glass fiber, and hard-block carbon. Merits that we got after using ceramic are Simple system, inexpensive, and removing water-borne bacteria. Using ceramic methods is not as effective against viruses and does not remove chemical contaminants and colors.
Solve Water Crisis
People are curious to know what they should do to solve this problem, it’s not just the governors who solve this issue. As the citizens, we can also contribute by:
Educating to change consumption and lifestyles
Inventing new water conservation technologies
Recycling wastewater
Improving irrigation and agriculture
Having appropriately priced water
Developing energy efficient desalination plants
Improving water catchment and harvesting
Looking to community-based governance and partnerships
Water projects in developing countries / transfer of technology
Addressing pollution
Works Cited
“Indonesia’s Water Crisis - Indonesia’s Water Problems in 2020.” Water.org, water.org/our-impact/where-we-work/indonesia/.
“Clean Water Crisis in Indonesia.” Pureosity | Sivaniah Group, ICeMS, Kyoto University, pureosity.org/en/global-targets/clean-water-crisis-in-indonesia/.
“In Java, the Water Is Running Out.” Www.lowyinstitute.org, www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/in-java-water-is-running-out.
“Residents Depend on Polluted Cilemahabang River.” Jakarta Globe, jakartaglobe.id/vision/residents-depend-on-polluted-cilemahabang-river. Accessed 22 Dec. 2021.
Bank, Asian Development. “Indonesia: Making Water Supply and Sanitation Women’s Business in Aceh and Nias - 2010.” Asian Development Bank, 1 Oct. 2010, www.adb.org/results/indonesia-making-water-supply-and-sanitation-women-s-business-aceh-and-nias-2010. Accessed 22 Dec. 2021.
“Learn about the Indonesia Water Crisis.” WATEROAM, www.wateroam.com/social-awareness/the-water-crisis-indonesia.
Circle of Blue. “Experts Name the Top 19 Solutions to the Global Freshwater Crisis - Circle of Blue.” Circle of Blue, 5 Oct. 2018, www.circleofblue.org/2010/world/experts-name-the-top-19-solutions-to-the-global-freshwater-crisis/.
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