Jakarta's water sources drying up: WWF

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A recent study has predicted less rainwater will flow to the Citarum river basin in West Java as a result of warmer temperatures and vast changes in land use.

Citarum, the largest water basin on the island of Java, is the key source of water for both West Java and Jakarta.

The study, conducted in April by WWF Indonesia and the Meteorology Laboratory of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), found that temperatures in the Citarum river basin would significantly increase by 2020, both in the rainy and dry seasons.

The study predicts the average temperature in the rainy months will be 26.1 degrees Celsius in 2020, up from 24.7 degrees in 2001. During the dry season, the average temperature will soar to 30.7 degrees, up from 27.1 degrees in 2001.

"This increase in temperature will be caused by global warming," the head of the study, Armi Susandi of the ITB, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

It was predicted the level of rainfall during the rainy season will jump to between 239 millimeters and 1,377 mm in 2020, up from between 249 mm and 746 mm in January 2001.

"Such big downpours could be a blessing and solve water scarcity problems. But on the other hand, it would lead to more natural disasters such as floods and landslides, especially if there is no effort made to replant the forest area around Citarum so as water can be retained," he said.

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