Posted on December 1st,1998
By : Soetrisno S.
1. Background
Indonesia's territory as a space or a place for living of man and other humankind, is a God's gift for the Indonesian. Therefore it should be sustainability protected, managed, developed, and conserved
for a better and sustainable quality of life of the people.
Land as one part of spatial components with all natural resources that containts therein, plays an important role for life since all creatures living on it. It is realized too,that the land and its natural resources content are not unlimited.
Physical development as part of regional development such as construction of buildings, housings, roads, bridges and public utilities are continuously increasing due to the development in all sectors.
Those physical devepoments need land space and give positive impacts for the benefit of the people. However, in other side it also creates negative impacts to the physical environment. It can be understood since a physical development is directly related to the land/rocks were constructions stand on, were water occurr as source for water supply of men living on it, and were the air is available for supporting life.
In regional development, if spatial usage is not wisely regulated, then spoiling of its usage and deterioration of spatial quality might be occurred. Therefore, it is required a spatial planning in order to arrange its usage on magnitude of activity, type of activity, location function, space quality, and environmental estethique bases.
As long as groundwater resources are concerned, a wisely spatial planning which is based on its usage, balance and preservation principles, would support sustainability of groundwater. It established eventually a better quality of life.
Negative impacts such as declining of piezometric head, groundwater pollution and land subsidence, might be avoided or minimized, if a physical development considered hydrogeological aspect in its planning. Hence, in its implementation all activities which might deteriorate physical environment quality, in this case groundwater resources, should be avoided. In case of those activities must be carried out, then engineerings which refer to the local hydrogeological condition should be introduced.
Hydrogeology, as a science which learn about the occurrence, distribution and flow of groundwater with its emphasis on geological condition of an area, has certainly a role in preparing spatial planning on groundwater aspect basis.
Groundwater, as one of natural resources, plays an important role in supporting live of all creatures living on land space, since groundwater is one of sources for water supply for various purposes.
In Indonesia, it is un deniable that since many years ago, groundwater has been delivering its support for a better quality of Indonesian life. In other side, however, its usage has been causing negative impacts to these resources itself and its environment, such as declining of groundwater head, sea water encroachment and land subsidence. Therefore by knowing of groundwater behavior based on its hydrogeological knowledge of the area concerned, spatial planning in the frame of regional development, will ensure in achieving the benefit, balance and preservation of groundwater. The groundwater development, then, still can be conducted in supporting life, while achieving its protection. Negative impacts which might be happened due to this development could be minimized.
This paper intends to discuss role of hydrogeology on supporting preparation of spatial planning and regional development, groundwater development and its protection in regional development and the constraints which might be faced in the implementation of that role.
That role should be stressed out here, since so far spatial planning and regional development emphasised more on a consideration of physical aspect on surface. Therefore it is often that physical development caused negative impacts to the environment, where its solutions are obviously laid on under surface, including its hydrogeological condition.
By knowing hydrogeology role, in this case groundwater potential, it is hope that any decision making in any stages of planning, actuating and controlling of regional development , groundwater aspect should always be considered.
2. Spatial Planning
A spatial planning, as stipulated on Law No. 24 of 1992, is a process of spatial planning, spatial usage and its control. The result of a spatial planning is a spatial plan.
A spatial planning basically should be conducted integrally and holisticly. It should be analysed and defined in order to unite of different activities carried out by the government or the communities. Since it is conducted integrally, all aspects related to geologic, biologic, economic, and social aspects should be analysed. In case of geo-physic aspects, as far as groundwater sustainability is concerned, then role of hydrogeology is only one of aspects which should be described.
The objective of spatial planning is an arrangement of space usage regulation of protection and cultivation areas.
Protection area is an area which is setup with its main function is to protect the sustainable environment , including its natural and artificial resources. By knowing groundwater behavior through hydrogeological knowledge of a concerned area, an arrangement of protection area which one of its function is to protect groundwater resources, can be achieved.
In other side, hydrogeological knowledge plays an important role in governing the spatial usage of cultivation area, in this case is groundwater development. It is becaused of a cultivation area is an area which is setup with its main function is to be developed on its condition and potency of natural , human and artificial resources bases. Looking to the one of spatial planning objectives, role of hydrogeology will deliver a significant contribution, e.g., how to establish the arrangement of spatial usage wheter an area as a groundwater protection or groundwater development area.
Spatial plan as a result of spatial planning may be divided as follow:
According to the scope of its area, then each spatial plan as mentioned above, has different on its content.
Referring to the one of the spatial planning objectives which is arrangement of protection and cultivation areas, then National Spatial Plan governs in setting up of an area and to formulate a basic policy of its usage. Provincial Spatial Plan directs to the management of protection and cultivation areas and the management of its land, water, air and other natural resources usages. Regency/Town spatial Plan contains the activities of the management of protection and cultivation areas itself and the arrangement of the usage of available natural resources.
Based on the above description, spatial plan may be divided on its degree of realibility basis, since the information contain therein and its scale are different. For national purposes, spatial plan is presented in a Indonesia's area map of 1 : 1,000,000 scale, 1 : 250,000 scale for provincial level, 1 : 100,000 scale for regency level and 1 : 50,000 scale for town level.
3. Regional Development
Region, according to regional science, includes two elements, man and nature. The biggest region of Indonesia is the whole state which is comprised of a nation (people) and a home-land (nature), while the smallest region is a household which is comprised of a family (man) and a shelter ( a part of nature). Generally speaking "parts of a certain area of our country may be described as a region if they have two elements as stated above" (Sutami, 1980).
Sutami, 1980, further more mentioned that development in special sense, is a physical development which is comprise of repairing, development and maintenance and is conducted in preparing a requirement tool for development in general sense, e.g., political, economic, social and cultural developments.
Referring to the above definition, then regional development is only a part of development as a whole which is comprise of the development of physical, political, economic, social and cultural aspects. Hence, related to the title of this paper, its objective is more emphasised to physically regional development.
With those definition too, it is obvious that a region can not be separated from the space where comprises of nature and resources contained therein and man as a living creature who are living and doing within those space. Therefore,in regional development, a spatial planning is an important thing in order to maintain and to manage natural resources (incl. groundwater) and the space itself for the enhancement of the quality of man's life, whereas its environment is kept sustainable.
4. Role of Hydrogeology
Referring to the one of spatial planning objectives, in respect to the arrangement of land use planning and the direction of groundwater resources -which is contained therein- management, hydrogeology delivers a significant contribution to the preparation of spatial planning, in national, provincial, regency and town level either.
Groundwater knowledge of a concerned area delivers an understanding about groundwater resources at least on four factors, e.g., time, space/media, volume and its quality.
Based on that knowledge, supporting and barrier factors of groundwater resources can be considered in spatial planning and regional development.
Supporting factor is addressed to the bearing capacity of groundwater resources in supporting regional development, while barrier factor is subjected to the limitation of those resources as a barrier in regional development.
Time. Groundwater availability is limited by a time dimension of its flows and its occurrences.
Groundwater is renewable natural resources, however, it is basically limited by time dimension in the range of second to millenium, based on hydrogeological condition accordingly.
It should be realized in spatial planning, hence, the function of an area ensure the renewal of groundwater is still lasted in a reliable time dimension.
Using of artificial or natural isotopes in groundwater dating and tracing can determine water age and required time of water flows within a basin. Its also support in setting up recharge and discharge areas.
Time effects also to the groundwater occurrence in a given time, particularly for free groundwater. During the rainy season replenishment is taken place, and in contrary during the dry season. Whereas confined groundwater its recharge time is depending upon its recharge area location, geometry and aquifer parameters.
As a figure, at the Bandung basin groundwater flow velocity from recharge to discharge areas is lasting in decade order to 700 years, while its residence time in aquifers is recorded 940 years BP in west Bandung and 10,670 years BP in east Bandung (Geyh, 1990).
Space/Media is a place where groundwater occurred is. A place which is hydrogeologically enable to store and to release water in a significant volume or in contrary in governing groundwater occurrence in the basin.
Therefore, realizing to the configuration, geometry and aquifer parameters of the basin are most helpful in determining groundwater occurence and its sizes.
Hydrogeological knowledge surely will deliver those understanding. Hydrogeological mapping, geophysic measurement, exploration drilling and pumping test results may reconstruct the configuration and geometry of space/media of groundwater resources and determine its parameter.
By knowing the space/media characteristic then the understanding can be drawn that the occurrence of grounwater is not unlimited, uneven distribution in all places, encountered in different depth from one place to another, and not limited by administrative boundaries.
Since its occurrence is not limited by administrative boundaries, therefore in case of spatial planning and regional development is subjected to region with different in public administration responsibility, then hydrogeology can play its role in integration of all interests of each administration.
Groundwater occurrence in Indonesia may be distinguished into four groups as follows:
By considering of supporting and barrier factors of these groundwater occurrences in spatial planning and regional development, then space can be efficiently and effictively benefited.
Since there is a barrier of time and space/media in groundwater occurrence, hence,
Based on hydrogeological knowledge groundwater quantification in the basin can be carried out, and even prognoses of total volume of groundwater in a given time in various scenarios of its abstraction can be formulated by using groundwater modelling.
Table 1 below showing total volume of groundwater in several basins, which should be considered in spatial planning and regional development in each area where those basins are located.
Table 1. Groundwater Potency of Several Basins in Indonesia
|
No |
Province |
Location |
Total Volume
|
|
1.
|
West Sumatra
|
Padang
|
2
|
Referring to the comprehension that groundwater is limited by space/media, then any changes of space usage at surface and its regional development should ensure the existing of space/media of groundwater underneath and its volume.
Quality. Groundwater quality is an important factor both as supporting or barrier factors. Hydrogeological knowledge delivers quality description of groundwater which is occurred or flows through a certain media.
Through hydrochemical analyses, groundwater quality may be determined its usage for a certain purposes, such as for drinking, industry or agriculture.
Based on its hydrogeolocical conditions, proper management of groundwater of an area may be implemented and groundwater protection or its development may be settled.
Groundwater protection is not merely addressed to the quality and volume itself, but it also refered to the involvement of spatial planning for groundwater recharge and discharge areas.
The requirements of groundwater protection in regional planning and land use developments in the urban areas can be formulated (Wagner & Sukrisno, 1991).
Groundwater development is basically human efforts in using groundwater for supporting its life through drilling or spring captured. By understanding of hydrogeological conditions, then those efforts can be done in an efficient and an effective way.
A permissable groundwater abstraction, its proper usage and impacts which might be occurred, may be setup if hydrogeological conditions have been described. Flows or mass-transport modellings may be helpful to support it. Hence, groundwater development of a concerned land space may be settled with some pre-conditions in supporting the groundwater sustainability and directions, cultivitations and land use planning may eventually be conducted.
Those hydrogeological conditions for spatial planning are depicted on the map and depending upon its information reliability, then the information may support to the national, provincial, regency or town spatial planning.
5. The Constraints
Referring to the philosophy of groundwater occurrence in a broader sense, which is hydrologic cycle - since groundwater is one facet of this cycle -, and another aspects which are related to the spatial planning, then space arrangement might be faced with several constraints. Its particularly respect to the setting-up of protection areas.
The constraints might be encountered :
The guidelines of Law No. 24 of 1992 is not yet available and it will disturb in spatial planning. Nevertheless, the strengthen occupation of each sector by its own is also another constraint.
The degree of information depth of hydrogeology of concerned area, may effect to the misleading of spatial planning. Its subject to the availability of hydrogeological data of each different parts of Indonesia.
It is easy to understand, since spatial planning is set-up by not only hydrogeological but many aspects, then a conflict of interest among sectors may be happened.
In one side, an area should be protected, whereas subject to another aspect, this area may have a highly economic value to be developed as commercial or industrial zone.
Low environmental awareness of some parties may neglect to the groundwater conservation in spatial planning.
6. Closing Remarks
Hydrogeological knowledge, particularly in groundwater occurence, is basically a significant factor for any constructions and regional development. It is due to the facts, that up to now there are no single construction or regional development which did not stand-up on earth, where groundwater resources occurred are. Therefore the existing of groundwater plays an important role in determining the success of construction and regional development.
Groundwater resources should be considered as supporting factors in constructions and regional developments, since as natural resources its can be explored, or should be considered as barrier factor. An interaction between developments and those resources, may lead to the deterioration of those resources itself or its environment.
In this time, by practiced, it is less constructions and regional developmnets which considered hydrogeological conditions if it is not to be said as neglected the hydrogeological considerations. The impacts are it was often that the results of construction or regional development are not physical environment-friendly, hence, its caused negative impacts such as degradation to both quality and quantity of groundwater and to the surrounding life communities.
The constraints are to be faced in the implementation of spatial planning, may be solved by recognising the integration among sectors, enlifting hydrogeology investigation, and extension of environment awareness to the communities for a better quality of life.
Reference
1. Anonymous, 1992, Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia, Nomor 24 Tahun 1992, tentang Penataan Ruang, Lembaran Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 1992 No. 115, Sekretariat Negara, Jakarta.
2. Geyh, M.A., 1990, Isotopic Study in the Bandung Basin, Indonesia, Project Report No. 10, Directorate of Environmental Geology, German Environmental Geology Advisory Team for Indonesia, Bandung.
3. Hahn J., 1991, Balancing the Requirements of Land Use and Groundwater Protection in Rural Areas, International Hydrological Programme IHP III Project 10.6, Unesco, Paris.
4. Struckmeier W.F., 1989, Types and Uses of Hydrogeological Maps, Memoires of the International Symposium on Hydrogeological Maps as Tools for Economic and Social Development, International Association of Hydrogeologists, Hannover.
5. Wagner W. and Sukrisno, 1991, Groundwater Quality Protection in the Northern and Eastern Parts of the Bandung Basin, with conclusions for Land Use and Regional Planning, Directorate of Environmental Geology - German Environmental Geology Advisory Team for Indonesia, Bandung.