Water corrosivity of polluted reservoir and hydropower sustainability

Abstract

Reservoirs play a strategic role in the context of sustainable energy supply. Unfortunately, the majority of the reservoirs are facing water-quality degradation due to complex pollutants originating from activities both in the catchment and inside the reservoir. This research was aimed at assessing the extent of the water degradation, in terms of corrosivity level, and at examining its impacts on hydropower capacity and operation. Water quality data (total dissolved solids, pH, calcium, bicarbonate, and temperature) were obtained from 20 sampling stations in the Cirata Reservoir from 2007 to 2016. The results show that the river water is already corrosive (Langelier Saturation Index, LSI = − 0.21 to − 1.08), and, the corrosiveness becoming greater when entering the reservoir (LSI = − 0.52 to − 1.49). The water corrosivity has caused damage to the hydro-mechanical equipment and lowering production capacity. The external environment of the catchment hosts complex human activities, such as agriculture, land conversion, urban and industrial discharge, which have all played a major role in the water corrosiveness. Meanwhile, the internal environment, such as floating net cage aquaculture, has intensified the problem. As the water corrosiveness has increased, the maintenance of the hydro-mechanical facilities has also increased. Strategies must be applied as current conditions are certainly a threat to the sustainability of the hydropower operation and, hence, the energy supply.

Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP) Implementation in Indonesia : A mini-review

“…Many studies discuss only a few aspects of hydropower sustainability, e.g., water corrosivity in Cirata dam (Sunardi et al, 2020), and sustainable micro-hydropower operations in Ciptagelar village (Sato & Ide, 2021). The national environmental impact assessment is insufficient to be used as a proxy for the hydropower sustainability assessment as it covers only limited topics.…”

Assessing the Influence of Land-Use Changes on Water Quality Using Remote Sensing and GIS: A Study in Cirata Reservoir, Indonesia

“…Cirata reservoir was built in Citarum River Basin in 1984, serving as a hydropower plant for the Java-Bali region as well as for irrigation and aquaculture (PJB BPWC, 2019). At present, the ecosystem around the Cirata Reservoir is continuously degrading due to complex anthropogenic activities within the reservoir and around the river basin, which in turn leads to water quality deterioration and a ects the social and economic resilience of the local communities (Parikesit et al, 2005;Sunardi et al, 2020). Cibalagung is in the most critical condition due to the high pressure of human activities, the river brings many high loads of suspended material (216.61 kg/day) into Cirata Reservoir after the Cisokan River (Kartamihardja and Krismono, 2016).…”

The Cost of Pollution to Dam’s Fisheries

“…This problem also happens to the terrestrial waters in many developing countries, including Indonesia. Cirata Dam experiences water quality degradation due to pollution [17,21,[30][31][32]. Fisheries in Cirata Dam is one of the resources of livelihood and food security of surrounding communities [5,16,17].…”

“…Pollution in Cirata Dam is mostly caused by the high sedimentation of Citarum upstream, uncontrolled fish farming activities using the floating net, and land use at the upstream [31,33,34], Degradation of water quality in line with unregulated exploitation has caused fish production in the region to decline yearly. For sustainable management, this study analyzes the impacts of economic activities (fishing) and noneconomic activities (pollution), to the depletion of fishery resources in the dam.…”