Challenges of integrated water resources management in Kapuas river basin

Abstract

The Kapuas River basin is a unique river basin, as the place of Lake Sentarum National Park that consists many lakes that become a water storage during the rainy season and water provider during the dry season and a water transportation infrastructure. Due to the economic and population growth, there is a change of land use. Land conversion in Kapuas River Basin is conducted for palm oil plantations, whether conducted by individuals or companies. Changes in land use lead to increased erosion and sedimentation, which affected the reduced capacity of rivers and narrowed the shipping lanes. Besides, during the dry season, the discharge will decrease, so the river transportation is disrupted. Decrease flow from the upstream also causes the water supply to the downstream is not optimal, due to seawater intrusion on the downstream will press the flow from the upstream. In addition, illegal gold mining (PETI) at some point of rivers becomes a threat to the sustainability of river basin. Facing this variability in water resources management problems, this paper proposed the implementing of integrated water resources management at Kapuas River basin level to increase water security in West Kalimantan. Developing a comprehensive, integrated, and environmentally sound water resources management, the complexity of the problems should be clearly understood as the basis for developing water resources management pattern in a river basin. The development of water resources policies and strategies should be based on physical conditions, social-economic-cultural conditions, and institutional arrangements in each river basin.