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Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has reported that the annual ground surface subsidence rate of its capital Jakarta reduced from 1-20 cm in the 1997-2005 period to 0.04-6.3 cm in the 2015-2022 period. Acting head of the ministry’s geological agency Muhammad Wafid said the decline of the rate can also be seen in manual monitoring in North Jakarta’s Groundwater Conservation Center office. In September, the ESDM issued a new decree on standards for approval of groundwater use in an effort to restore groundwater levels and reduce the rate of land subsidence in the Jakarta metropolitan area. Wafid, a leading expert on spatial and environmental planning, affirmed that by controlling its use, groundwater levels can be restored, thereby helping to prevent land subsidence and saltwater intrusion. Under the decree, households must apply for approval to use groundwater if their water consumption exceeds 100 cu.m per month. Statistics show that most households in Jakarta only use an averag
e of 20-30 cu.m per month. The decree also regulates other activities, such as farming in locations outside irrigation systems and water recreation areas, water use for research activities, as well as in State agencies and organisations. Wafid said that pollution and other disturbances have made it longer for groundwater to replenish in both quantity and quality, prompting the ESDM to issue a new decree to prevent groundwater degradation. The expert held that the deterioration of groundwater and environmental conditions caused by human activities can be prevented by active intervention with measures such as controlling groundwater exploitation and environmental restoration./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
