The Blessings of Bengawan Brantas that Is Increasingly Eroded

Kompas/AGUS SUSANTO

Two residents look for fish at the Gerak Waru Turi Dam in Gampengrejo District, Kediri Regency, East Java, Sunday (12/15/2019). This 159 meter long dam is used as water control for the Brantas River for irrigation purposes.

Bengawan (River) Brantas, which flows from the foot of Mount Arjuna in Malang, East Java, moves various aspects of life in 15 regions in East Java. Ironically, the blessing is being eroded by various problems.

Assisted by his wife, Didik, 55, tightly pulled a rope that crossed the Brantas River on Friday (21/5/2021). The resident of Temas village, Batu city, East Java, used a simple pulley to lift sand from the riverbed onto the riverbank. He used a plastic paint bucket as a container for the sand.

In the last five years, Didik has been doing this job. He leaves in the morning and returns home just before noon. Every day, Didik can collect up to two truckloads of sand with a selling price of Rp 225,000 to collectors. Often, he takes advantage of the remaining time by collecting coral. From the Brantas sand, he supports his small family.

Also read: The Fate of Famous Rivers

Didik is one of the residents who uses the Brantas River to support the family\'s economic life; there are thousands of people who depend on the Brantas River for their lives.

The lifeblood

With a length of 320 kilometers and 39 tributaries, the Brantas River has become the lifeblood of the area. Its flowing water fills dams and is also used for agricultural irrigation, raw water and electricity generation.

According to Perum Jasa Tirta I data, 17 million people live in the Brantas River watershed area. Some of them make a living from the river, from upstream to downstream in Surabaya and Sidoarjo, East Java. Water from the Brantas irrigates 345,000 hectares of agricultural land.

With a length of 320 kilometers and 39 tributaries, the Brantas River has become the lifeblood of the area.

KOMPAS/DEFRI WERDIONO

Sumberbrantas Village, Bumiaji District, Batu City, East Java, looks deserted on Friday (22/5/2021). This area is the upstream of the Brantas River Basin.

Brantas is also a source of energy for hydroelectric power plants (PLTA) and microhydro-power plants (PLTMH), which also supply electricity to the Java-Bali generation system. There are dozens of PLTA and PLTMH along the river, including PLTA Lodoyo, PLTA Karangkates, PLTA Kesamben and PLTA Jatimlerek.

Downstream, Brantas is utilized as a source of clean water for residents, both managed by the region-owned water company (PDAM) or independently. In the downstream area, users include PDAM Surya Sembada Surabaya, PDAM Delta Tirta Sidoarjo, PDAM for Mojokerto city, Mojokerto regency, and Gresik regency.

The administration and public relations manager of PDAM Surya Sembada Surabaya, Diah Ayu Anggraeni, said the PDAM currently has 588,000 customers. The majority, between 70 and 80 percent are households and only a small portion come from the business world.

Also read: Tending Brantas River’s Upstream Together

Assuming that each household has four family members, a total of 2.3 million people depend on PDAM Surabaya for their clean water needs. The number of customers continues to increase as the population grows. Meanwhile, domestic or household water consumption is around 28.30 cubic meters per month per customer.

In the era of rising tourism, the river, which also functions to catch volcanic materials from volcanos, makes a significant contribution. The colorful villages in Malang, for example, take advantage of the beauty of the Brantas River to attract tourists. Tlocor Aquatic Tourism, Sidoarjo, also takes advantage of the beauty of Brantas.

"Tlocor Aquatic Tourism welcomes 1,000 people per day on weekends. During the COVID-19 pandemic, visits remain high, around 700 people per day. The economic implication is big because it is able to stimulate various other businesses, such as culinary businesses,” said Tlocor Aquatic Tourism public relations officer Supari.

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

The village landscape on the edge of the river, Jodipan Village, Blimbing District, Malang City, East Java, Friday (15/7/2017).

Upstream land

However, the Brantas River’s blessings are now beginning to erode. The land cover in the upstream area of the river’s watershed in East Java is only 20 percent of the 2,050-square-kilometer area. As a result, sedimentation and flooding appear. This year alone, more than 1,200 houses in Jombang regency have been inundated by an overflow from the Brantas River.

The water quality from the Brantas River is sometimes far below quality standards.

Water pollution cases have also emerged. In the downstream area of Brantas, garbage piles are found at various points along the river and its tributaries. The condition has been worsened by pollution from industrial waste.

Pollution becomes a crucial problem because so far, the Brantas has been widely used as a source of raw materials for the PDAM.

"The water quality from the Brantas River is sometimes far below quality standards. This affects the quality of water that the community receives,” said Diah Ayu.

Over time, the level of community dependence on the Bengawan Brantas is increasing. However, this dependence has not been counterbalanced by the care for environmental preservation in the Brantas watershed.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.