ECOHYDROLOGY APPROACH AS NEW WAY
TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURE AND WATERRESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN PEATLAND
AREA – CENTRAL KALIMANTAN

Dr. Ignasius D.A sutapa, M.Sc
Executive Director APCE – UNESCO
Vice Chair of IHP Indonesia
Chairman of RSC IHP AP
Assoc. Prof. in Chemical & Env Technology

Co-Authors :Eni Maftuah
Astried Sunaryani
Hidayat Pawitan

ASIA PACIFIC CENTRE FOR ECOHYDROLOGY
APCE – UNESCO CATEGORY II CENTRE

“Human interaction

with the environment isat the center ofwater security..”
Water(Anonymous)

Conflicts

Lack of cleanwater andsanitation
 waterrelateddiseases

Loss ofbiodiversity

MainIssues
Related toWater inAsia PacificRegion

Waterpollution

Droughtsand Floods

Asia Pacific Centre for Ecohydrology
APCE – UNESCO Category II Centre
APCE – UNESCO POTENTIAL SUPPORT FOR SDG ACHIEVEMENTS
RELATED TO WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC REGIONAPCE HQ in Cibinong - Indonesia

Organization Structure of APCE
Executive
Director

Executive
SecretaryResearchProgram

Database& Information
SystemTraining,
Capacity Building& Collaboration

Social, Culture &Public
Awareness

APCE Governing Board Members

Dr. Zainal Arifin(Indonesia, Chairman)
Deputy for Earth Science LIPI

Prof. Dr. Soontak Lee(Korea, Member)Distinguished Professor ofHydrology and Water Resources
Engineering of Yeungnam University

Prof. Dr. Kaoru Takara

Prof. Dr. Quentin Grafton(Japan, Member)
Professor of Disaster
Prevention Research Institute,Kyoto University(Australia, Member)
Chairholder, UNESCO Chair in Water
Economics and Transboundary Water
Governance, ANU Canberra

Prof. Dr. Shahbaz Khan
(UNESCO, Member)
Director of UNESCO
Office Jakarta

Prof. Dr. Hidayat Pawitan(Indonesia, Observer)
Professor of Hydrology andWater Resources,Bogor Agricultural UniversitySTRATEGIC GOALS
1. To
promotelocalresourcesbaseecohydrological research
2. To strengthen local capacity to adopt
ecohydrological concept and approach
3. To provide easy access to local resources
based
ecohydrologicalinformation
andknowledge
4. To enhance public awareness of local resources
based ecohydrological practices

APCE Contribution to the implementationf of SDG’s

Goal 6: Ensure
access to water andsanitation for all
Goal 13: Take urgent action
to combat climate change
and its impacts

Goal 15: Sustainably
manage forests, combat
desertification, halt andreverse land degradation,
halt biodiversity loss
APCE involved in Goal 6, Goal 13 and Goal 15

FOCUS AREA

1Watershed
Hydrology SystemSubak3 hydrology
System2Peatland
Hydrology
SystemArid Zone
Hydrology System456

Small Islands
Hydrology System

Urban
Hydrology
SystemMain Issues of Peatland Problems
Deforestation and land degradation rateduring 1997- 2000 period was 2.8 million ha
annually including peatland degradation, andforest degradation has decreased to well
below one million ha/year at present.

Peatlanddegradation
Peat swamp forest has
importantroleforequilibriumandmaintenance of living
environment such as
water reservoir, carbon
storage,climatechangeandbiodiversity

Peat characteristics

Ecohydrology is a transdiciplinaryscience derived from the larger earthsystemssciencemovement
andexamining mutual interactions of thehydrological cycle and ecosystems

Ecohydrology

Human interventions to natural conditions thatchange the characteristics of the peatland, suchas peat land subsidence that is irreversible,
excessive drying of peatlands that triggered acidsoils and vulnerable to wild fires, especiallyduring dry seasons with reduced water levels,
but flooding during rainy seasonsIntroduction...
••Customized
ecohydrology
principles fitted into the peatland
managementinCentral
Kalimantan should consider thebasicnatureofpeatland
conditions as described by
Widjaja-Adhi, [6] into four flooding
zones A, B, C, and D
in the present study close
attention would be given to findout more on the interactioncs andinterrelationships
betweencontrolling environmental factorsof vegetation and water regimes.
.

Classification of peat swamps as influenced by tidalflows

Ecohydrology Approach

Ecohydrology principles:
1. Hydrological principle to quantified
threats,
2. Ecological principle to describe
ecological integrity, and
3. Ecotechnological principle to enhance
ecosystem capacity.

“DUAL REGULATION”
Regulation of biota
by altering hydrology
and regulation of hydrology
by shaping biota

Biota

Regulation
Hydrology

HARMONIZATION
of ecohydrologicalmeasureswith necessaryhydrotechnicalinfrastructure

INTEGRATION
of various regulations
acting in a synergistic
way to stabilize andimprove the quality ofwater resources

Study Area

Objectives◍ The objective of this research wastostudy
comprehensive
ecohydrology aspects in ex mega
rice project, Central Kalimantan inorder to support sustainableagricultural practices and water
resourcesmanagement
inpeatland areas.
◍ The study site located specifically atpeatland area in Ex-Mega Rice Project Block
C, Pangkoh area, Kanamit Barat, Pulau
Pisang Regency, Central Kalimantan. (20 52’19.00’’- 20 53’ 06.80” S and 1140 05’34.54”1140 07’ 00.96” E)Material &Methods◍ The materials used are chemical materials, among others (KCl, H2SO4, K2O, NaHCO3,NH4OAc, CaCl, etc.).
◍ The equipment used in this study is a laboratory tool for the analysis of soil andfertilizer, soil sampling tool, rulers, books and other stationery.
Methods of analysis of chemical and physical properties of peat
No Chemical andphysical properties
1. pH H2O (1:5)
2. EC (1:5, dSm-1)
3. Organic C
4. Total –N
5. Total P
6. P available
7. K availabel
8. CEC
9. Ca-exc, Mg-exc,
10. K-exc dan Na-exc
11. Al dan H
12. Water contents

Tools / extraction /Methods
pH meter
EC meterashingKjeldahl
Spektrofotometer
Spektrofotometer
Flamefotometer
AAS /NH4OAcAAS/NH4OAc
Flamefotometer/
KCl 1 N/Titrasi
Gravimetri

EconomicAnalysis

Chemical & PhysicalPeat analysis
Water Quality
analysisAnalysis of the sustainability ofagriculture in peatlands ( soil,plant, social-economic)

Result &Discussion
Characteristics of farming in peatlands Pangkoh, Pulang Pisau
12000000
10000000

IDR

8000000
6000000
4000000
2000000
0Corn

high yield rice

Chili (/500m2)

eggplant (/500m2)

Commodity
Revenues

Cost

Benefit

R/C

Analysis of the costs and revenues of farming crops on peat land, Pangkoh

Farmers in Kanamit Jaya has been oriented to plantation crops (oil palmand rubber), whereas in Kanamit Jaya some farmers still cultivate
peatlands exist for food crops (rice, maize, pulses and horticulture).

21,81,61,41,210,80,60,40,20

Result &Discussion...
Characteristics of biophysics at the study site•

The results showed that in the area Pangkoh 10 already dominatedby acid sulfate soil. Acid sulphate soils associated with peat soils
commonly found in the area around the tidal land, which covers goup with the loss of a layer of peat in the upper layers of sulfidic
material.
The value of 3,98 for soil pH is classified in very acid, in thiscondition, most of soil nutrients is not in available form, whereas toxic
element such as iron and aluminum in high solubility.

Peatthickness
also
affects the hydrology ofpeat. Fluctuations ingroundwaterlevelscould reach 45 cm at thetop of the dome and 60
cm on the outskirts ofthe dome

Peat thickness in several research sites
150

peat thickness (m)

•120

125

100
50505050404050
30-40
00Land Use0

Result &Discussion...

• Excessive peat drainage can cause
accelerated subsidence and soil
conditions become more oxidative.
• The rate of decomposition of peat
isstronglyinfluenced
byenvironmental factors include thetemperatureandgroundwaterlevels

Result &Discussion...

Water Conditions◍ In Pangkoh 10 already use the floodgates, but most of
the canal blocking are not effective and are not equipedwith floodgate.
◍ In Pangkoh 9, most tertiery canal also serves as ameans of transportation
Water quality in Rei Tersil Site
Site

ColorTemp.

pH(oC)

CondTurbTDS

DO(mS/cm(NTU)(mg/L)(mg/L)

2.64

19.7

1690

3.10)
Rei Tersil

Stationyellow

33.5

3.26

NitriteNitrateAmmonium

TNTP

SulfateTOM(mg/L)(mg/L)(mg/L)(mg/L)(mg/L)(mg/L)(mg/L)

0.024

161.457

347.8890.0157 0.7900

0.04074.5990789

Rei
TersilBased on parameters, thistype of water was in classIV
under
Government
Regulation No. 82 of 2001
and it did not meet thequality for daily use as
drinking water.

Conclussions◍ Sustainability of agricultural practices in peatlands is strongly
influenced by ecological, economic and social aspects,◍ Ecohydrology approach for peatland management is suitable byimplementing 4 principles : hydrology, ecology, ecotechnology andcultural principles.
◍ The dominant ecological aspect that affect sustainability inpeatlands can be determined from the condition of the water
management system inpeatlands◍ Characteristics of chemical properties and constraints faced in themanagement of peatland depends on the thickness of the peat
layer, as well as the nature of the soil below the peat layer

Thank You

References