The National Development Planning Agency has commissioned Mott MacDonald to prepare a water supply master plan.
There has been overdependence on groundwater as a primary source of water. As a result, the rate of water extraction from local aquifers significantly exceeds recharge rates, with water tables declining at more than 1m a year in some areas.
Bandung lies on the Citarum river basin, which provides 80% of the water consumed in the capital city Jakarta and surrounding areas. It supports a population of about 30 million, contributes 20% of the country’s industrial outputs and produces 5% of the country’s rice.
“Loss of forest cover and unsustainable farming practices on steep slopes in the upper catchments has resulted in reduced infiltration of rainfall, inhibiting groundwater recharge and contributing to rapid run-off of surface water,” said Mott MacDonald’s project director Hero Heering. “Sustainable management of surface and groundwater is critical to the country’s economic development and food security.”
The project is due for completion in 2014.
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