The issue of Jakarta slowly sinking is not something new, it has been an issue for a long time, and now, the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono has finally opened up about the news that the residents of DKI Jakarta are prohibited from using groundwater to save the capital from the potential for drowning. He stated that the issue of the sinking of Jakarta has been the subject of discussion for a long time because of the subsidence of land in Jakarta.

Basuki has stated that the reasoning for Jakarta sinking, that apart of the consolidation of the soil, is because of the large amount of groundwater that was being taken. The groundwater fills the pores of the sand or aquawaver, so in turn if the groundwater is taken away the pores are empty. If the pores are empty, then the load above it (the land) will sink.

Stopping or reducing the use of groundwater is one of the preventive measures in order to save Jakarta from sinking. Basuki said that several proven references that can be seen is in Bangkok and Tokyo. “Now how? The trick is to stop groundwater extraction or reduce it, that’s the reference Bangkok, Tokyo, they stop groundwater, they can stop,” said Basuki.

Director General of Human Settlements at the PUPR Ministry Diana Kusumastuti said the central government had appealed to the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to provide raw drinking water for the community. DKI Jakarta residents will be prohibited from using ground water.

There are currently discussions regarding this. Later there are several water sources that can be used, for example from Jati Luhur, Serpong to Juanda. “This is because Jakarta does not have a raw water source. That’s why people still use groundwater,” he said at a press conference at the PUPR Ministry Office, Monday (4/10/2021).

SOURCE: finance.detik.com