Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) will distribute an additional supply of surface water to Jakarta through the Drinking Water Supply System (SPAM) to minimize excessive use of groundwater by people.

"We will supply additional surface water for Jakarta by using SPAM," the ministry's Secretary General Mohammad Zainal Fatah stated in Jakarta on Thursday.

He noted that the PUPR Ministry is currently preparing two SPAMs: Jatiluhur SPAM and Djuanda SPAM.

Some 10 thousand liters per second of surface water supply will be distributed to Jakarta from the two SPAMs, he noted.

Fatah is optimistic that when the surface water from SPAMs enters Jakarta, the extraction of groundwater will stop. This is deemed necessary in order to maintain the volume of Jakarta's groundwater due to its excessive use.

"For Jatiluhur SPAM, we will use the West Tarum Canal that is a water conveyor from Jatiluhur to Jakarta. As for water taken from Jatiluhur Dam to Jatiluhur SPAM or Djuanda, a pipeline network will also be built," he remarked.

Meanwhile, the supply of surface water from SPAM Karian - Serpong to Jakarta will only play a role as a supplement, considering that most of the surface water supply from SPAM will be distributed to the Banten area.

"For the progress of the Karian - Serpong SPAM development, a water conveyor system is currently being prepared from the Karian reservoir to conduct water processing and then be distributed to the community," Fatah stated.

Earlier, the PUPR Ministry had started the construction of the Jatiluhur I Regional SPAM. This facility will utilize raw water from the Jatiluhur Dam in West Java Province that is channeled through the West Tarum Canal.

PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said construction of the Jatiluhur I Regional SPAM was an effort by the government to improve Jakarta's environmental conditions by reducing the use of groundwater to address subsidence in the capital city.

The Jatiluhur I Regional SPAM project was initiated by the Consortium PT Jaya Construction Manggala Pratama Tbk - PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk - PT Tirta Gemah Ripah, with 30 years of cooperation. Construction has started in stages since January 2022 and is targeted for completion in June 2024.

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Translator: Aji Cakti, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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