Tanzania embraces new system of growing rice

Deutsche Welle, 19 December 2013

Residents of Morogoro,Tanzania,have adapted a new system of growing rice that is weather friendly and cost effective.

Until recently, farmers in this village located 218km (135 miles) from the capital Dar es Salaam, believed it was impossible to grow rice without flooding the field, but due to water shortages, the new technique known as 'System of Rice Intensification' (SRI), reduces the need to supply water to the fields.

With this system seedlings are grown in a non-flooded nursery and replanted, at a shallow depth of only 1-2 cm deep in a paddy field.

The plot is then left to dry until cracks become visible when another thin layer of water is introduced, unlike in the past when large amounts of water were supplied in the field.

As the rice seedlings grow some farmers irrigate every evening, others leave the fields to dry over a 3-8 day period, depending on soil and climate conditions.

With this system farmers have been able to reduce on the use of chemical fertilizers and production costs and as a result, their incomes have greatly improved.

Happy farmers

Mwajuma Ramadhani, a farmer from Kiroka village can now plan for her children's education better than before as she doesn't have to worry about food for her family anymore.

The 47-year-old widow is among farmers who can testify on the benefits of the new system. “I am very happy with this technique because since I started using it, my crop yields have gone up, she told DW,” I can now get enough food for my family and sell the surplus.”

From her humble beginnings, Ramadhani hardly got 5 bags of rice per acre when she was still using the old method, but with SRI her yields have remarkably improved.

“I harvested 30 bags of rice last season and that was the highest since I started using this method” she said.

Morogoro Rural Agriculture Field Officer who oversees farming activities in the village, Edith Kija told DW that with SRI paddy seedling can thrive well with minimum soil moisture.

“We tell them to keep a distance of 25cms between paddy seedlings to provide room for the robust growth and redistribution of the stems,” she said.

Every farmer in Morogoro has a positive story to tell about SRI because the new technique has not only enabled them to conserve land but also be mindful about the effects of climate change.

International support

Under the project,' Strengthening the capacity for climate Change Adaptation through Sustainable Land and Water Management', the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has trained 268 farmers with multiple skills to prevent soil erosion, reduce deforestation and manage water and soil fertility.

FAO representative to Tanzania Diana Tempelman, told DW that the agency promotes conservation agriculture in Tanzania with the view to reduce carbon emissions and also to increase carbon sequestration in the soil.

“We are aiming to work together with local populations in Tanzania who can identify crop varieties suitable for drier circumstances,” she said.

Fighting soil erosion

To address soil erosion, farmers in Tanzania have been taught to dig contours bunds locally known in the Swahili language as ‘Fanya Chini' in order to maintain soil fertility.

“We trained them how to align the contours using local tools, we also encouraged them to grow barrier crops including pineapples and bananas to strengthen the bunds,” said Henry Mahoo, a professor of agricultural engineering who supervised the project.

Rajabu Juma is one of the veteran farmers at Kiroka who finds water and soil management skills useful as he applies them on his farm.

“My friends see digging of trenches as an inconvenience, but I have seen the benefit since I am able to retain water and soil fertility,” he said.

The 60-year-old is among Kiroka farmers who have accepted multiple interventions to protect their livelihoods.

Climate change impacts

According to Economics of Climate Change study published in 2011, the country's average temperature has increased over the last 30 years with rainfall becoming erratic.

The government estimates that, without proper adaptation, yields from crops like maize could fall by up to 16% by 2030 which translates into a million tonne per year.

According to Prof. Mahoo, climate change has triggered the dwindling of water resources which have affected irrigation schemes thus causing water conflicts.

“We may not be the major cause of climate change but since it is a global issue we are entangled,” he said.

Prof. Mahoo said rice intensification system has been effective to most farmers in the lowlands who are affected by water shortages.“

Most farmers are better off with this method because rice production can increase up to four folds, last year we had a farmer who produced11.6 tonnes of rice per hectare,” he said.

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PLN ready to build Jatigede hydro power plant

Antara News, Thu, December 15 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - State electricity company PT PLN is planning to build a hydro power plant with a capacity of 2x25 megawatts in Jatigede, Sumedang district, West Java province.

The plan would soon be realized following an agreement between PLN and the Directorate General of Water Resources at the Public Works Ministry, PLN senior corporate communication manager Bambang Dwiyanto said here on Thursday.

Under the agreement, the Public Works Ministry will develop and manage a dam needed to operate the power plant, while PLN will build and manage the power plant.

The construction of Jatigede hydro power plant will cover a power house, along with water ways, surge tank, penstock, tailrace, transformer yard and switch yard, transmission line and other supporting facilities.

"The electrical power produced by the Jatigede power plant will be incorporated to the Java-Bali 150 kV transmission system," Bambang said.

The construction of the dam is designed not only to generate electricity but also to irrigate 90 hectares of rice field and control floods in West Java`s northern coastal areas, particularly between Cirebon and Indramayu.

The construction of the hydro power plant will cost an estimated US$224.4 million.

Bambang said PLN was in the process of preparing a tender for the construction of the 2x25 megawatt-capacity power plant. "We hope that the Jatigede power plant will be able to supply electrical power to the Java-Bali transmission system as early as in 2015," he said.

Editor: Heru

Bottled water firms should be held responsible: Wahli

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Malang, East Java | Wed, 05/26/2010 10:31 AM | The Archipelago

Deforestation on the slopes of Mt. Arjuna in Pasuruan regency has reached alarming levels and private companies benefiting from its natural resources need to take responsibility, says the Each Java branch of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi).

Purnawan Dwikora Negara, a Wahli coordinator in East Java, said that deforestation posed dangers to people living around the forest.

Data shows that of the 15,600 hectares of protected forest area, about 3,400 hectares are damaged and categorized as critical, in addition to another 402 hectares that were burned in 2009.

“What makes it alarming is the damaged forest has functioned as a water catchment area that supplies springs and underground water reserves,” Purnawan said recently, adding that reforestation efforts by plating trees must be urgently pursued.

Private companies, such as bottled water companies, have also benefited from the springs and must be held responsible and pay compensation to the community, he said.

There are 14 bottled water companies operating at Mt. Arjuna, including PT Tirta Investama, with its product Danone Aqua. The company has been granted a concession that allows it to take water at a rate of 50 liters per second from the Pandaan water spring.

Around 1,500 truck tanks, each holding a capacity of 5,000 liters, carry water from the water springs in Mt. Arjuna to be sold to Surabaya, Sidoarjo, and Pasuruan.

While exploiting the water resources, the companies have criticized for their lack of environmental conservation. Several companies have implemented corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, but groups such as Wahli say the results have been minimal so far.

For Walhi, companies should be obliged to allocate 60 percent of its revenue for reforestation.

“Take it as an environmental fee because they get everything for free,” Purnawan said.

However, the CSR manager for Danone Aqua in the East Java region, Arief Fatullah, denied suggestions his company was not giving back. He said they planted 30,000 seedlings from 2008-2009, which would be followed by another 50,000 this year.

“We are also implementing foster forest programs in a total area of 72 hectares. That’s part of the Arjuna Mountain forest conservation,” Arief said.

He said the company had spent Rp 2 billion on its CSR program in East Java, but Purnawan said the sum was not comparable to the company’s huge revenue.

World Water Day: Why business needs to worry

BBC News, VIEWPOINT, by Peter Brabeck-Letmanthe, Chairman, Nestle S.A.

Global water requirements ... will be 40% greater than what can currently be sustainably supplied

Monday is World Water Day, but I suspect relatively few will have noticed.

While the world is rightly moving to address the challenges presented by climate change and depleting supplies of fossil fuels, the same awareness and consensus does not exist when it comes to addressing our usage of water. Yet the harsh fact is that we will probably run out of water long before we run out of fuel.

We need to act fast, now.

Most people equate water consumption with what they use in their homes and places of work, but the challenge facing the globe goes much, much further than that. The 2030 Water Resources Group, a collaboration between the private and social sectors to discover solutions to combat water scarcity, estimates that global water requirements will grow by over 50% over the next 20 years. Such levels of usage will be 40% greater than what can currently be sustainably supplied.

Of course this global figure is an aggregation: at a more local level the situation is far worse. For example, by 2030 one third of the global population, mainly concentrated in developing countries, will have only half the amount of naturally renewed water available they need.

More than tap

Efficiency in water usage is not improving fast enough

What most consumers might not be aware of is that agriculture accounts for 70% of global water usage today, and how the need to feed the growing population of the world will put an even greater strain on already scarce water resources.

And in recent years food and water supplies have also been significantly affected by the use of agricultural land and resources on the production of biofuels.

The 2030 Water Resources Group also predicts that industrial use of water will almost double by 2030. It currently accounts for 16% of total usage - more than half of it for energy production - and this will grow to a projected 22% by 2030 with China alone accounting for 40% of the additional demand.

The challenge facing governments, businesses and - arguably - all of us, is how to close the gap in supply in a way that is both environmentally sustainable and economically viable. At the moment we are coping by 'borrowing' water supplies from non-replenishable aquifers or from water reserved for environmental needs, an approach which is clearly not a long-term solution.

Crop per drop

Efficiency lies at the heart of debate, just as with climate change. Yet while great strides have been made around carbon, the track record of water efficiency from both agriculture and industry does not inspire confidence: between 1990 and 2004 the annual rate of efficiency improvement in both sectors was approximately only 1%.

Agricultural productivity has the potential therefore to play a fundamental role and increasing the "crop per drop" is vital, particularly in the developing world.

There are measures such as no-till farming, improved drainage and utilisation of the best seeds that may even have a positive return for farmers. The water cost curve of the 2030 Water Resources Group shown in this document provides the tools for comprehensive, cost effective strategies.

Microfinance

Within an overall strategy, the buyers of the farmers' produce can also play their part by offering their suppliers training, technical assistance and even microfinance to help them improve water efficiency. This is an approach we have taken at Nestle where, for example, we provide more than $30m worth of micro-credit loans yearly to more than 600,000 farmers worldwide.

Just as microfinance can help farmers, policymakers, financiers and the private sector can do more to ensure that those willing to improve their water footprint at the macro level are given the opportunity - and capital - to do so.

Efficiency must also be a focus for industry and those responsible for planning and managing economic development. Companies and governments are often quick to trumpet their energy efficiency achievements, but too few have taken the same approach with water.

Water shortages are more pressing than climate change

The sooner governments, industry and consumers start to see the links between energy, food and water security, and how policies in one area affect another, the more likely it is that water scarcity will get the profile it deserves and that we start acting decisively to assure the sustainability of humankind's most precious resource, water.

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Finding a cure for Indonesia's sick river

CNN, by Anna Coren, March 21, 2010

Collecting rubbish on the banks of the Citarum river outside the village of Sakamaju, on the outskirts of Bandung, Indonesia. It is one of the world's most polluted waterways.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Citarum River in Indonesia supplies around 30 million people with water
• Extreme pollution means many who live in villages along its banks often fall ill
• Poor sanitation compounds the problems for health of people and environment
• Asian Development Bank spending $500 million on river clean-up project

Bandung, Indonesia (CNN) -- The small village of Sukamaju on the outskirts of Bandung, West Java is nestled within mountains and rice plantations. To the naked eye, the scenery looks beautiful but on closer inspection, this ecosystem is supported by a water source that is sick and heavily polluted.

We've arrived to cover a story on the Citarum River, considered one of the most polluted rivers in Indonesia, if not the world. Around 30 million people rely on this water basin and it provides 80 percent of Jakarta's drinking water.

While this water is obviously treated for consumption in the larger town and big cities, in Sukamaju what's in the river is pumped directly to the community. The only filtration available is a towel or sock wrapped around a waterspout. The villagers use this water everyday to bathe, wash and cook.

But for drinking, they will boil it. Health experts tell us, this process will kill the bacteria but it certainly won't get rid of the heavy metals and toxic chemicals.

Near the village there are dozens of textile factories -- the main source of employment for many of the local people. They're also one of the biggest polluters of the Citarum River, spewing industrial waste directly into the waterways.

At one spot outside a plant, the water is black with pollution. Children play in it; crops are grown beside it.

A little further upstream, 10 meters before the water turns black, we meet a man who is washing plastic bags he will then sell. He says he does it here because of the strong chemicals in the water -- it helps him do his job more effectively.

We meet Nyai, a 60-year-old great grandmother who has a persistent skin infection. She has welts, lumps and dark markings all over her torso. Her daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren all suffer the same condition, including 4-year-old Wildan.

4-year-old Wildan has spots covering his face and neck his family believe are from the polluted waters of the river.

I ask him to show me where it's itchy and he points to the spots covering his face and neck. Nyai says this skin condition only became a problem for her village after the textile factories set up in the 1980s.

Asked if she's angry about the water situation Nyai replies: "We have no choice, this is the only water we have. Everyone in this village only has this water source. If it's raining then our wells will get fresh water but if it's dry season, everyone must use this water."

Water, black from chemical pollution, runs down na channel outside a textile plant. Dozen of textile factories line the banks of the river by Sakumaju and toward the city of Bandung.

But it's not just the factories, using the Citarum as a dumping ground; the community effectively use it as an open sewer. As we walk through the village, children squat over canals and defecate directly into the water. Any garbage is thrown in the waterway or dumped on the side of the riverbank.

Re-educating local communities on how to look after the Citarum is one of the main projects for the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It's investing $500 million dollars over the next 15 years to try and save the Citarum and the communities who rely on it.

The ADB will work closely with Indonesian government to rehabilitate the entire river basin, addressing the issues of pollution, sanitation, and environmental problems like deforestation, siltation and flooding. Tom Panella from the ADB is fully aware of the enormous task in front of him and his team, but he remains hopeful .

"The Citarum is very sick and needs everybody to help bring it back to a state of health so all communities reliant on it can have a good quality of life and sustainable livelihoods," he says. "It's not dead but it needs a tremendous amount of work from all of us."

Two scavengers search for plastic garbage in Citarum River, Baleendah in Bandung on Sunday. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has declared the 270 kilometer river as the world’s most polluted river. (Antara/Rezza Estily)

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Bali to host Live Earth concert in April

Avril Holderness-Roddam, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 02/02/2010 6:51 PM | Arts and Entertainment

Bali will host Live Earth: Run for Water 2010 concert in April that will feature local and International artists who will donate their time to raise awareness of the importance of making clean, safe water available to all people.

Participants in the Run for Water event can enrol to run or walk for six kilometers (the approximate distance walked daily by many women and children around the world in order for them to collect water) on the day, April 18.

During the press conferense celebrities and other people involved with the event discussed the importance of providing suitable water to communities and commented that the way to improve the sistaution is through public awareness and public education.

Celebrities present included Slank, DJ. Anton and the present Puteri Indonesia, Qory Sandioriva. You can find out more about Live Earth at the official website: http://liveearth.org/en/. JP/ Avril Holderness-Roddam

Environmental problems threaten food security program

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 01/30/2010 9:06 PM | National

Various environmental problems have put the government’s bid to maintain food security at risk, a minister says.

Agriculture Minister Suswono said Saturday limited water supply resulting from rampant illegal logging activities and conversion of productive land into commercial use were among the major challenges facing the government in its effort to meet the national rice production target.

"We must work hard to prevent agricultural land from being affected by industrial development," he said.

The government has enacted the 2009 law on protection of agricultural land to curb conversion of rice fields the country needs to ensure its food resilience.

The national rice production this year has been set at 66 million tons, up by 3.2 percent from the 2009 mark.

Suswono urged regional governments to support the move to expand rice fields in accordance with the national food self-sufficiency program by 2014.

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Farmers spend own climate change adaptation fund

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 11/02/2009 8:38 PM

Frustrated by the government’s inaction, traditional farmers and fishermen have taken initiatives in adapting to extreme weather as an impact of climate change.

Farmers in Pati, Central Java, have to set aside one eighth of their income to purchase water to irrigate their paddy fields because they have moved forward their planting time by two months to avoid annual floods in January over the last five years.

“We are forced to use our money to buy water due to the absence of government assistance,” Tanto, a farmer from Batu Rejo village in Sukolilo district in Pati, told a climate forum jointly organized by the Indonesian Civil Society Forum (CSF) and Oxfam on Monday.

Tanto said that around 170 farmers in his village collected an average of Rp 92 million each planting season to water 150 hectares of their paddies. The farmers plant paddies twice a year

The forum featured farmers and fishermen from several towns across the country, who shared their efforts to adapt to extreme weather changes believed to be the impacts of the climate change.

Farmers from Indramayu in West Java and East Nusa Tenggara said they were also facing depleting water supply and unpredictable weather.

The East Nusa Tenggara farmers said they were struggling to cope with “fake” rains.

“Rain usually falls once or twice at the end of October, prompting farmers to plant maize. But unfortunately there was no more rain in the next four weeks, causing the plants to die,” Dominggus Tes, a corn farmer from Nusa village, told the forum.

Meanwhile, traditional fishermen in Krui, West Lampung said local fishermen had been unable to predict weather in their area in the last five years.

“In the past we could predict the weather by locating the position of South Star. But it is no longer applicable now,” said fisherman Edy Hamdan.

He said the fishermen tried to adapt to the climate change by creating new fishnets at a cost of Rp 20 million.

“Otherwise, we will return home empty-handed,” he said.

Jakarta Predicted to be Underwater By 2012

Monday, 02 March, 2009 | 16:23 WIB 

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Firdaus Ali, a technical environment researcher from the University of Indonesia, predicts that Jakarta will be underwater before the year 2012. He cited as the cause the excessive suction of ground water in the Jakarta area, resulting in the continuing subsidence of the land surface. “Not only will the city go underwater, we will also suffer from dehydration prior to that,” said the doctorate from the University of Wisconsin contacted by Tempo yesterday. 

Firdaus’ calculation was based on the data of land subsidence in the capital city, which ranges around 10 centimeters a year in average. In West Jakarta, during the past 11 years, the land surface subsided by 1,2 meters. In Kemayoran and Thamrin in Central Jakarta, it has lost ground by 80 centimeters for the last 8 years. “If this continues, Jakarta’s land surface will be below sea level,” Firdaus said. 

City Environment Committee chief, Darrundono, shared a similar opinion, pointing out that extreme exploitation of ground water has caused a drastic land subsidence. He said ground water supply is not increasing, yet its consumption keeps going higher. “A ground water crisis in Jakarta has come to a dangerous stage,” he cautioned. 

The Jakarta administration plans to increase fees for ground water usage by luxury homes and industries to 6 – 16 times higher. This is aimed at reducing consumption which has become more exploitative. 

Increasing fees, Firdaus said, is one of the instruments to reduce its usage. Users would be persuaded to use potable water from the services of the state-run Water Supply Company (PAM). “Ground water tariffs should be higher than that of PAM,” he said. 

Every year, 320 million water cubic meters are sucked up from the ground, according to Firdaus. Yet, the reasonable amount should be only 38 million cubic meters. Meanwhile, the official data cites only 21 million cubic meters allowed to be consumed. “The remaining must be taken illegally,” he said. 

According to Firdaus, extreme ground water exploitation creates a hollow in the earth. The resulting pressure causes the land subsidence. There are already many hollow areas around. “Even local rainfall can flood many areas,” he said. 

Darrundono said the subsidence will cause Jakarta to slowly go below sea level. Sea water intrusion has currently reached 11 – 12 kilometers from the coast. “Sea water intrusion has reached the Setia Budi area in South Jakarta. Floods will become even more unmanageable,” he said. Sea water intrusion and subsidence can also cause buildings to collapse. 

Darrundono criticized the construction of super-block buildings and skyscrapers in Jakarta, which also takes up excessive amount of ground water. 

SOFIAN| LIS

Stop using groundwater, says environmental board

The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Sat, 02/28/2009 10:31 AM 

 

The city environment board (BPLHD) has called on residents and building developers to stop making new groundwater wells and start using tap water.

 

The call was made following reports that groundwater exploitation had led to water shortages and land subsidence.

 

BPLHD official Dian Wiwekowati said many city residents were still reluctant to shift to tap water.

“Many residents prefer to dig their existing wells deeper or make new wells to get sufficient water, rather than use piped water,” she said Friday at a press conference.

“Commercial buildings like malls, apartments, hotels and office buildings are doing the same, making water supplies in large parts of the city critical.”

Among the most critical areas are Tebet and Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta, and Duren Sawit, Ciracas and Pasar Rebo in East Jakarta.

Residents of those areas have to dig more than 16 meters deep to get groundwater, and another 8 meters deeper in the dry season.

Residents in less critical areas, like Mampang Prapatan and Kebayoran Baru in South Jakarta, and Cempaka Putih in Central Jakarta, need to dig 12 to 16 meters deep for water, and 18 to 24 meters in the dry season.

Dian said the BPLHD would limit the issuance of permits to build artesian wells for new commercial buildings, as existing wells now contributed more than 80 percent of total groundwater use in the city.

 

“We will allow them to make their own wells if the tap water companies are not able to provide their entire water needs,” she said.

In 2004, the Jakarta mining agency drew up a memorandum of understanding with private water companies PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) and PT Aetra Air Jakarta and the city’s water operator PT PAM Jaya, requiring the private operators to supply clean water to minimize groundwater use.

However, residents and businesses operators continue to use groundwater, after complaining  about the operators’ poor services, including low quality of tap water, disrupted services and limited pipeline networks.

Last year, the city administration said more than 1,000 companies in the city had overused groundwater.

Aetra business service director Rhamses Simanjuntak said his company was currently working to improve services.

To pressure residents and business operators to limit groundwater consumption, Dian said her agency would ask the city administration to increase tax on groundwater.

“We are currently preparing a draft on groundwater tax adjustment and will propose it to the city council this year,” she said.

Under the proposal, the price of groundwater for elite residential areas will increase from Rp 525 per cubic meter to Rp 3,300, and for industry from Rp 8,800 to Rp 23,000.

Dian said experts from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) had conducted research last year to help the agency decide the ideal rate. (hwa)

Soeharto's legacy leaves key lessons in agribusiness

Andi Haswidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Amid the threat of global increases in food prices, lessons from the earlier stage of Soeharto's rule over the economy have become more relevant than ever, business leaders said.

Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman, Mohammad Hidayat said after Soeharto saved the country from soaring inflation rates at the end of Sukarno's presidency, he kept the country's economic growth steady, at an average of seven percent annually until the mid 80s.

Hidayat said, "He was right to focus on the agriculture industry and it's supporting industries as the locomotive for the country's economic growth".

He said the world now faced a threat from food-driven global inflation due to the growing demand from the emergence of new economies such as China and India.

So the current government administration should look to Soeharto's successes, particularly in the agriculture sector, Hidayat said.

"There are things that must be viewed under the current perspective.

"Nevertheless, learning from his concepts and implementation on the agriculture sector has become more important than ever."

Despite his iron first, Soeharto was able to implement all policies needed to achieve the food self-sufficiency target, Hidayat said.

Soeharto had also provided the necessary supporting infrastructure including irrigation, the establishment of the State Logistics Agency as the rice price controller, and the effective distribution of subsidies.

"What was amazing was how he managed to encourage farmers to take a role in policy implementation through giving them intensive training, ensuring their competitiveness and improving their livelihood."

Hidayat said Soeharto's economic successes faded after he shifted focus from agriculture development to the high technology sector, including the establishment of the country's first airplane producer Nurtanio under B.J. Habibie.

"After this time, his policies began to show weaknesses," he said.

Indonesian Employers Association chairman Sofyan Wanandi also praised Soeharto's early focus on the agriculture sector and said there had been "solid team work in Soeharto's cabinet".

"He backed his ministries during the policy implementation process," Sofyan said.

"This gave them strong political support in carrying out their duties, unlike what happens now."

With a solid cabinet, Soeharto was able to secure most of the targets set for his five-year short-term development plans, particularly those in the agriculture sector and supporting industries, Sofyan said.

He said externally Soeharto was able to maintain Indonesia's economic credibility in the face of global lenders and donor countries.

"This credibility saw Indonesia able to borrow money at a low rate with a long tenor.

"Most of our loans were above the 30 year period, some even with 10 years grace period."

With manageable liability on loans, Soeharto enjoyed much ease in managing the state budget, giving subsidies for industries and to keep the economic fundamentals on the right track, Sofyan said.

As an owner of a manufacturing company, Sofyan said he had once enjoyed the oil subsidies during Soeharto's era -- something that most analysts later said was counter-productive due to over dependency.

"In the long run, oil subsidies were not healthy. Nevertheless, back then, it was crucial to support our industries, which were still at the infant stage," Sofyan said.

Villagers commit to saving forest and water sources

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Batu, East Java

A small mosque sits atop a spring in Toyomerto hamlet, Pesanggrahan village, Batu district in Batu city, East Java. It is used for religious activities and also as a meeting place for local villagers.

The water source is one of 11 spread around the village, located between 900 to 1,000 meters above sea level, on the slopes of Mount Panderman.

According to community figure Syaifuddin, better known as Gus Udin, thanks to the small mosque, 277 household heads have united in a mission to save 11 water sources at risk of being exploited by outside parties.

Local residents are aware of the importance of reforestation and protection of the production forest area owned by the Perhutani state forestry company, spanning 21,640 hectares around the village, from illegal loggers.

According to Gus Udin, people initially opposed the conservation effort, which began in 1997. Farmers and firewood sellers depended on the trees in the production forest, which they felled and sold to make a living.

The forest is a catchment area which feeds 11 springs that people rely on for their daily needs.

The slopes of Mount Panderman at one point appeared barren due to uncontrolled logging, which triggered floods and landslides during the rainy season in 1998 and 1999. Recurrent droughts occurred during the dry season, thus affecting water quality in the 11 springs.

Residents also became prone to illnesses, such as diarrhea.

"The situation is better now. The residents have found other ways to make a living, such as raising dairy cows and cattle for meat, the results of which are starting to show," said Gus Udin.

In 1997, a rumor that a prominent businessman from Jakarta was interested in purchasing the village, including the 11 springs, prompted the local community to protect the forest and water sources in their village. They eventually formed an environmental study group called Yayasan Iqro.

"I also heard that a significant amount of gas was located in the ground below our village," said Gus Udin, who also heads the foundation.

During meetings, residents were made aware of how to preserve the surrounding environment. They were taught to change their habit of felling trees in the forest, shown how to live a more healthy lifestyle through planting trees and learned the importance of preserving their water sources. Even children were taught to cherish the environment by planting trees in the forest.

After three years, the group imposed stiff regulations in the form of customary law, which residents mutually agreed on.

The punishments are quite stern; anyone caught felling a tree is required to pay a fine of a truck-load of sand, while those found felling five trees are fined 100 sacks of cement.

"Harsh punishments have been cast on the community," added Gus Udin.

The customary law is currently effective and acts as a deterrent to those who destroy the environment in the village. So far, residents have been able to protect the 11 water sources, which each supply four liters of water per second.

Each family pays a monthly fee of Rp 7,500 (approximately 83 U.S. cents) toward operational funds to manage the springs. From each fee, Rp 1,000 is set aside to fund the building of schools, roads, houses of worship and other community facilities.

To help improve people's welfare, the foundation offers credit for dairy cows and cattle. It has so far distributed 600 heads of cattle to residents without collateral.

This scheme has somewhat been able to change the look of Pesanggrahan village, which is evident from the 3,600 dairy cows and cattle already raised by the villagers.

The residents can now even fulfill their household energy needs by turning cattle dung into butane biogas to light their stoves and lamps.

"Residents can finally save on fuel and electricity," said Gus Udin.

A villager, Lasmi, 50, said she was able to make use of biogas from cattle manure after receiving a grant from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) for a pilot project in 2005.

Gas is channeled through a small pipe to her stove and lamps from the back of her home, which is directly next door to a cattle shed.

Two structures resembling septic tanks are stored inside the cow shed; one is used to store the manure, which is connected to the other that collects gas.

"We no longer buy kerosene because we can use biogas derived from cattle dung," Lasmi said.

Clean water, a basic necessity for everyone

The government says extreme weather events are a serious threat to water security. During the wet season floods large swaths of the country, including Jakarta, are inundated by floods. At other times droughts cause drinking water shortages for millions. Below is the final article in a series of six on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government said demand for clean water, particularly in Java, Bali and East Nusa Tenggara far exceeds supply, forcing people to `over-exploit' groundwater.

Demand will continue to increase in line with population growth, at a time when potable water supplies are drying up due to unpredictable changes in the weather.

Further along in the worrisome cycle, the government said, seater will further intrude into coastal areas where millions reside, severely impacting water security.

Data from the state ministry of environment said the country's annual demand for clean water would reach 8.9 billion cubic meters in 2015, almost a three-fold increase since 1990 when demand was only 3.1 billion cubic meters.

According to a written action plan, the government will build water catchment facilities such as lakes and percolation pits to harvest water during the rainy season and store it as a source of clean water during dry months.

These facilities are to be concentrated in Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara.

The government also plans to rehabilitate natural river drainages in an as effort to improve quality and supply of raw water.

According to the environment ministry, 62 river basins are in critical condition as of 2007, significantly more than the 22 in poor shape in 1984.

The ministry said highland deforestation in upstream areas and sweeping changes in land use have damaged natural drainage systems.

A joint study in April by World Wildlife Federation Indonesia and Bandung Institute of Technology's meteorology lab predicted less rainwater would flow through the Citarum river basin in West Java as a result of warmer temperatures and land use changes.

The Citarum River basin, Java's largest drainage, comprises 6,080 squares kilometers of land, through which the 269-kilometer river flows.

The study predicted dry and wet season temperatures in the basin would be significantly higher by 2020.

Citarum basin is the primary source of water for Jakarta and West Java.

The Jakarta administration said the capital city needed around 547 million cubic meter of water per year.

However, the two domestic use water operators -- Thames PAM Jaya and Palyja -- are able to pump no more than 295 million cubic meters of water per year.

Some of the capital's residents privately exploit groundwater which, the administration said, was speeding up land subsidence in the city.

The action plan says new technology is needed to utilize seawater as source for drinking water and for improving the function of rivers in recharging groundwater supplies.

It will also conduct campaigns aimed at increasing water conservation, including in agriculture, industry and power generation.

Data from the ministry indicated there were no rivers up to standard required to become a source of drinking water due high levels of pollution.

The World Bank has blamed unsafe drinking water and inadequate sanitation for 88 percent of total disease rates, including diarrhea and malaria.

It said that about 1.1 billion humans lack access to potable fresh water and some 2.6 billion are without adequate sanitation.