Indonesia's Water Quality Index Score Rises to 53.53 Points in 2020

Indonesia's Water Quality Index (IKA) score reached 53.53 points in 2020, categorized as fairly good. This represents a 0.91-point increase compared to the previous year's score of 52.62 points.

Despite the improvement, last year's IKA score remained below the target set in the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN). The RPJMN target for IKA is 55.1 points.

Karliansyah, Director General of Pollution Control and Environmental Damage at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), stated that the 2020 IKA score did not reach the RPJMN target due to ongoing water pollution. This pollution largely stems from household waste, such as wastewater from bathing and washing.

A more detailed analysis reveals that eight provinces met the IKA target: Bengkulu, Banten, Yogyakarta, Central Java, East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, North Sulawesi, and Papua. The remaining 26 provinces did not meet the target.

The IKA is used to assess water quality in water bodies (rivers and lakes). This index is based on nine parameters: pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), turbidity, total solids, total phosphate, nitrate, and fecal coliform count. A higher IKA value indicates better water quality.