The application of three basic principles can result in the sustainable watershed management for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Jakarta. According to data from the Department of Forestry, in 2007, 62 of the 420 watersheds in the country were categorized as critical, a situation which resulted in a deficit of 32,347 cubic meters of water on the island of Java.

The impact of these numbers can be seen in the critical condition of the watershed environments and the various problems and disasters faced there, including erosion, floods, landslides, and the loss of natural springs, as well as the occurrence of droughts, and the conversion of land function.

In other words, the critical status of the watersheds translates into crises that disturb human activities and living. Water supplies are diminishing, meaning that the people living near the river are being forced to seek water elsewhere, including resorting to buying it from suppliers, which means their expenses are increasing although their incomes may not be.

Data on the social and economic damage done by this situation indicate that there actually have been ”Early Warning System” signals from the natural environment itself. The frequency of natural disasters is one of the most important variables that should be taken as one of the basic principles of watershed management. Once nature has begun exhibiting such preliminary signs of pressure on the environment as warnings that water resources might not be able to continue to meet the needs of the human populace, we must immediately consider what efforts we must immediately make to protect our water resources through integrated management of our watersheds.

Protective efforts will not be enough. With the current threat of global warming in the forestry and agricultural sectors, water supplies for the human populace are also in danger. Therefore, new agricultural planting patterns that can adjust to climate changes must be found. Thus, the second principle of integrated watershed management involves protection, adaptation and mitigation.

The third principle is based on “the management of sustainable utilization of resources” or the continuous sustainable handling of resources. This means that each attempt at protection, rehabilitation or adaptation that is undertaken must actively involve the concerned community through local organizations or watershed forums that become directly involved in the protection and rehabilitation of watersheds.

Monique Sumampow, ESP Jakarta The application of three basic principles can result in the sustainable watershed management for the benefit of all stakeholders.