Indonesia’s water quality index has not reached the target yet, Pollution and Environmental Damage Control (PPKL) Director-General Sigit Reliantoro at the Environment and Forestry Ministry has said.

“Water quality is the hardest (issue) because the index is still low. It has not reached the target, and one of the main causes is Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and E. coli,” he informed at the ‘2021 End of Year Reflection’ discussion held virtually on Tuesday.

That fact reflects that wastewater from household activities has not been appropriately managed, he noted. Therefore, efforts to accelerate sanitation improvements are urgently needed to overcome the problem, the official added.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by organisms to oxidize the materials dissolved in wastewater, Reliantoro said adding, the higher the amount of oxygen required, the higher the volume of organic pollutants.

The value of the water quality index in 2021 has reached 53.33, which is below the national target of 55.20, he informed. The index has also declined 0.2 points compared to 2020, when it stood at 53.53 points, he said.

Meanwhile, 14 provinces have reached the target and 20 have not, he revealed.

There are several provinces which, despite having met the water quality target, are experiencing a trend of declining water quality in rivers and lakes that needs to be given more attention, Reliantoro said. Those provinces are Bengkulu, Banten, Riau Islands, South Sumatra, and West Java, he added.

Provinces that have reported an improvement in the water quality index include Jakarta, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, and Central Sulawesi, he said.

“If it is aggregated nationally, the improvement in water quality is also remarkably significant,” he pointed out.

He specifically highlighted the water quality improvement in Jakarta, evidenced by the rediscovery of endemic animals in Ciliwung River, such as linsang and blue lobster.

Source: Antara News