Transformation of ‘traditional’ water use to conjunctive management, a need for sustainable decentralization practice

The importance of water sector as an engine of national eco­nomic development was well understood since late 1960's. A major mile stone was achieved in 1983 i.e. the self support of rice production, an activity that consumed 78% of the national water suppl. Unfortuu­natel this was not a sustainable success. Environmental problems are soil toxicification, groundwater drop, increasing rice pests, water pollution, and salination to the fertile soil are increasing. The social and economic effects are the widening gap between rich and poor, be­ tween head and tailenders in imgaton sstems, and between farmers and mone lenders and middlemen. A possible strategic change to di­ vert this trend is a better practice of ecohydrology. This could be done through changes in bureaucratic perception from looking into water as a limitless resource into considering water as part of the ecosystem. To implement changes, consider the water use in Indonesia that has evolved through several parallel transforma­tions. From traditional use where water is considered free and limit­ less into water that has a social and economic value; from purely ex­ ploitation practices into sustainability; from water into water resources; from water supply as a project into water for people; from differentiated authorities of surface, groundwater, and rain water into a con­junctive management; from a centralized governance into a decentrali­zation.Economic valuation of water may increase water use efficiency although water pricing for most people (farmers) are not eas in the implementation; water exploitation in the past are the result of poor co­ ordination between departments and sectors; project oriented of water suppl has its root in the centralized bureaucratic planning and imple­mentation; conjunctive management is absolute in areas where water use has exceed 25% of the water availability. Decentralization should be interpreted as having a multiple meaning, not only in the goverm­ance sector as stated in the law UU No.22/ 1999 but also in the chang­ ing role of govemment from provider to enabler, in participation of stakeholders and NGO's, as well as farmers, forestry, fisheries, health sector, plantation associations, and participation of the larger comm­nit in the water planning and management