'Cave man' finds precious water sources<\/p>\n
By Gin Kurniawan<\/p>\n
GUNUNGKIDUL, Yogyakarta (JP): Locals here call out \"cave man\"
\nwhen Sudiyono passes them on the streets, but it is a term of
\nrespect for the 49-year-old.<\/p>\n
He may only have a junior high school education but he is
\nconsidered by many to be a foremost authority on spelelelogy, the
\nscientific study and exploration of caves. He has explored more
\nthan 400 underground caves, and one where he almost lost his life
\nhas been named after him.<\/p>\n
The father of three is revered locally for locating
\nunderground streams in at least 30 caves. Streams in five caves
\n(Jomblang, Bribin, Ngobaran, Gedilan and Seropan caves) are now
\ninvaluable water sources for 238,000 locals in the subdistricts
\nof Ponjong, Semanu, Karangmojo and Gunungkidul. Masses of water
\nflow through the Seropan cave, near the border between the Semanu
\nand Tepus subdistricts, at a rate of 1,500 liters a second. But
\nonly a fraction of this has been exploited.<\/p>\n
\"He is our god of mercy,\" said Atmo, a resident of Pojong,
\nwhich was once hit by a severe water shortage.<\/p>\n
Water shortages are frequent in Gunungkidul. This area of
\nabout 800 square kilometers is a dry, hilly region dominated by
\ndeposits of quartz, which can be used to make high-quality
\nlimestone. In the dry season, nothing grows on this parched land.<\/p>\n
In the 1970s, distended stomachs, a telling sign of
\nmalnutrition, were common there. Many locals chose to leave for
\nJakarta and other cities to earn a living.<\/p>\n
Sudiyono was indeed the savior. With special ropes and other
\nclimbing gear, Sudiyono climbed down into caves believed to
\ncontain water. He carefully measured the depth of the caves, the
\nposition of underground streams and the flow of water.<\/p>\n
Heavy-duty machinery drilled from the surface of each cave
\ndown into the earth. Thanks to the precision of Sudiyono's
\nmeasurements, the drill points landed right over the stream. Long
\nrubber hoses, sometimes about 300 metres in length, were fed down
\nthe drilled hole. Then Sudiyono went down again to fix a
\nwaterproof pump at the end of the hose.<\/p>\n
A diesel engine pumped the water up to several large concrete
\ntanks, from which it was piped to local's houses.<\/p>\n
\"I was overwhelmed with pride when I found the water,\"
\nadmitted Sudiyono.<\/p>\n
Sudiyono has been intimate with caves since his childhood,
\nwhen he lived near caves. However, he now goes down caves for
\nhumanitarian missions; to find water. Something unforgettable
\nhappened to Sudiyono in his youth when there was a long drought.
\nHe watched a child put its mouth below a water tank to catch
\ndripping water.<\/p>\n
\"Since then it has been my ambition to find water for the
\npeople of Gunungkidul,\" said Sudiyono, now a civil servant at the
\nUnderground Water Development Project of the Yogyakarta public
\nworks regional office. He is a low-level civil servant in the I-B
\nservice category.<\/p>\n
Before becoming a professional potholer, Sudiyono used to be a
\nconstruction worker in Jakarta. He was also once employed in the
\nmonitoring division of the state-owned radio station RRI. He
\nnevertheless eventually returned to his village and worked as a
\ntruck driver.<\/p>\n
In 1980 something changed his life. A friend asked him to work
\nfor McDonald and Partners, British irrigation consultants who
\nwere contracted for a project in Gunungkidul. He first joined the
\nsecretariat and was then transferred to another division to work
\nas a field survey assistant. His hidden talent as a potholer
\nblossomed. He was provided with the rudiments of underground cave
\nexplorations: from how to use climbing gear down to how to
\nexplore underground caves safely. He then began to explore caves
\nto examine their water content.<\/p>\n
Two years later, he joined a team from the British Cave
\nResearch Association (BCRA), which was then hired by McDonald and
\nPartners. He was assigned not only as a guide but also as a
\nmeasuring officer. While working with the BCRA he mastered the
\nway to use gadgets to measure the depth of caves, the thickness
\nof the earth surface, the debit of a water source and other
\nmeasurements.<\/p>\n
When McDonald and Partners and the BCRA team completed their
\ncontract here in 1984, Sudiyono took home cave exploration
\nequipment as a keepsake. Only occasionally did he do jobs for the
\nGunungkidul public works service, which made him a permanent
\nemployee in 1988 assigned to explore underground caves. So he now
\ngoes down underground caves at his own will.<\/p>\n
\"I go down caves on Saturdays and Sundays,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Besides proper equipment, courage and climbing skills are
\nneeded for those venturing into underground caves. On average,
\nthe caves are about 150 meters underground. Cave entrances are
\nnot always large. In some caves the entrance is only large enough
\nfor a human body. Hesitation could cause one to slip and be
\nkilled.<\/p>\n
Gas traps<\/p>\n
Apart from the risk of slipping, other risks involve floods
\nand lethal carbon dioxide (CO2) gas traps. Cave explorers must
\ncarry oxygen. A special light is fixed on their heads because
\ncaves are pitch dark.<\/p>\n
\"Unless these requirements are fulfilled, I suggest that one
\nshould think a thousand times before deciding to enter an
\nunderground cave,\" he advised.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the high risk is compatible with the enjoyable
\nsensation of exploring an underground cave. Beautiful stalactites
\nand stalagmites in some caves cannot be found on the ground. If a
\ncave has an underground stream, various species of fresh-water
\nfish -- including pelus (a fresh-water eel which grows as large
\nas an adult's thigh) -- seem to welcome your arrival. Besides, a
\ncave explorer need not fear poisonous animals there because
\nsnakes and other poisonous animals rarely exist in underground
\ncaves.<\/p>\n
\"I savor peace in the depth of the earth,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sudiyono almost died in a cave when he was climbing down a
\nBCRA team. His head light broke when he was 300 metres
\nunderground. Via radio, his colleagues told him to stay put until
\nan evacuation team arrived. But he was running out of oxygen.
\nBraving danger, he went crawled ahead in the darkness, relying
\nsolely on instinct and the strength of his arms and legs.
\nMiraculously he freed himself from the claws of death. In memory
\nof this, the cave has been named Luweng Sudiyono (Sudiyono Cave).<\/p>\n
\"I was found at fault because I was considered too daring in
\ntaking the risk. Finally, they understood my position. If help
\narrived too late, I would have run out of oxygen and lost my
\nlife,\" he said.<\/p>\n
For his dedication to the environment, Sudiyono was awarded
\nthe 1997 Kalpataru award (the highest recognition of conservation
\nwork) by President Soeharto. The award was presented to him in
\nearly June. He received a radio set as a memento from Vice
\nPresident Try Sutrisno. His office chief was so proud of
\nSudiyono's achievement that he promised to give him brand-new
\ncave-exploration equipment.<\/p>",
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