The Urgency of Determining the Bengawan Solo River as a Subject of International Law

Abstract

The Bengawan Solo River holds historical, social and economic wealth for the Javanese people. From the pre-literate period to the Mataram and Majapahit kingdoms, the Bengawan Solo River was the center of civilization in Java. The flow is functioned as a trade route and the water is used as a standard for drinking water and irrigation for agriculture and plantations. Meanwhile, Javanese people generally have a belief in several springs of the Bengawan Solo River as a sacred place with various rituals. The shift in the view of human relations to nature and reinforced by increasingly severe climate change forces humans to change habits that are detrimental to the balance of nature. Ganges, Yamuna and Whanganui rivers in India and New Zealand are designated as legal subjects with regard to environmental conservation and local wisdom. By looking at the legal precedents that occurred in India and New Zealand as well as the degradation of the function of the Bengawan Solo which was originally a "source of life" to become a "source of disaster", then the determination of the Bengawan Solo River as a Subject of International Law can restore its function as before, : the center of civilization of the land of Java.