Judul: Assessment and Utilization Management of Water Resources Lubuk Paraku Sub-watershed Padang, West Sumatra
Abstrak: Hydrological function of a watershed is the ability to absorb, hold, store, and slowly drain the water in order to create a balance of a water system. Hydrological functions work well if a watershed system able to maintain the balance of water in order to prevent flooding in wet season and drought in dry season. To maintain those functions working properly, the land use in watershed upstream should be considered. Lubuk Paraku sub-watershed is the headwaters of Batang Arau river with the main river namely Lubuk Paraku. This region is dominated by conservation areas and protected forests such as the Botanical Forest Park Dr. Mohammad Hatta and the Nature Reserves Barisan I. Those conservation areas are water catchment areas for Padang which have a very important role as a buffer zone. Lubuk Paraku watershed widely used for various activities. However, if the activity conducted just to fulfilled human needs without considering the carrying capacity of the resources, there will be a declining in the quality of land, the level of life, and will caused environmental damage. In addition, the increasing number of utilization types derived from conservation areas and protected areas, may resulted contamination to water bodies, and may caused the decreasing of water market price and the increasing of water scarcity value. To ensure the security of water supply, preservation of permanent vegetation cover in the catchment areas should be maintained, and the funds should be provided by the users of the water resources of that sub watershed. This study has three objectives, those are: (1) Explaining hydrologic conditions of Paraku Lubuk sub-watershed; (2) Explaining conditions of Lubuk Paraku sub-watershed land, and (3) Describing forms of resource utilization and calculate the economic value of water resources of Lubuk Paraku sub-watershed. The method used in this research is descriptive method, using quantitative and qualitative analysis, as appropriate for each review in this paper. The approach used is survey approach, observation, literature studies and interviews using questionnaires or in-depth interviews with selected respondents. Based on the analysis, data concluded the hydrological and land cover in Lubuk Paraku sub-watershed still quite good. This was shown by almost every parameters of water quality. Lubuk Paraku is included in class I according to the Indonesian Government Regulation No. 82 of 2001 on Water Quality Management and Pollution Control. Water quantity (debit) also had fluctuations that tend to increase either monthly or annually. This occurred due to high rainfall in Lubuk Paraku sub-watershed. For the continuity of Lubuk Paraku subwatershed, clean water from the river can be taken continuously with relative fixed rate fluctuations during the dry season and the rainy season. This leads to better value coefficient River Regime (KRS) Lubuk Paraku sub-watershed. Land covers of Lubuk Paraku sub-watershed are dominated by secondary forest area of 1.520,15 hectares or 61,27 %, and 585,84 hectares of primary forest or 23,61 %, mixed farming area of 321,07 hectares or 12,94 %, and an area of 53,96 hectares paddy fields or 2,18 %. Land cover vegetation index (IPL) Lubuk Paraku subwatershed obtained at 84,11 % and was greater than
Keyword: economic value of water resource, hydrology, Lubuk Paraku subwatershed, potential utilization, soil conditions