Cleaning up Code River for ecotourism<\/p>\n
Ridlo Aryanto,The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Riding the rough currents of a river that meanders over
\nmountains and through forests has become common for the more
\nadventurous among us, but rafting along a river that runs through
\nthe middle of a city is quite a different and unique experience.<\/p>\n
At least, Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X
\nhopes tourists to the province, one of Java's cultural centers,
\nwill think so.<\/p>\n
\"The regional administration is currently working on a
\nredesign concept to beautify the Code River,\" provincial
\nsecretary Bambang Susanto Priyohadi said.<\/p>\n
Bambang was speaking during a workshop sponsored by the
\nadministration to discuss the prospects for ecotourism on the
\nCode River.<\/p>\n
The first challenge to opening up the river to ecotourists
\nwill be figuring out what to do about the thousands of houses
\ncrowding the banks of the Code -- from Gondolayu bridge to
\nKeparakan Kidul subdistrict. And the most difficult challenge may
\nbe cleaning up the water of the river.<\/p>\n
A water quality survey conducted in 1993 by a Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity researcher showed the Code River contained E. coli, a
\nbacteria that causes diarrhea. The water of the river was also
\nover the tolerable limit for a number of other pollutants, which
\nis sure to deter tourists from splashing around in the river.<\/p>\n
\"There is a need to change the social behavior of the local
\ncommunity living along the riverbank, encourage them to take care
\nof their environment and to stop using the river as a gigantic
\npublic toilet,\" said Toni Artyanto Daroko, a researcher at the
\nuniversity's Institute for Environment Management Control.<\/p>\n
He said the cost of cleaning up the river for ecotourism could
\nbe covered if some of the remaining amount of the regional
\nadministration's 2001 budget, about Rp 155 billion, was used for
\nthe plan.<\/p>\n
According to Bambang, the governor's idea is to allow tourists
\nto enjoy the city's scenery while cruising along the river.<\/p>\n
A special 7.5-kilometer section of the river would be turned
\ninto a tourist zone, stretching from the southern part of the
\nring road (north of Yogyakarta), passing under Sardjito bridge
\nand Gondolayu bridge (in the city center), and then through
\nareas of the city known for their unique architectural styles, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The division of the river and the surrounding land into
\ndifferent zones, as proposed by the dean of Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity's School of Geography, Sudarmadji, would help ensure
\nthe river was not exploited beyond its capacity to support
\nactivity.<\/p>\n
\"We don't want the plan to redesign the river to disrupt the
\nstream flowing down from Mount Merapi, which would harm the
\npeople who depend on the river for their lives. The northern zone
\ncan be used for rafting and fishing, the middle part for jogging
\ntracks and the zone closer to the city center as handicraft
\nvillages. This way, we can distribute the environmental burden,\"
\nsaid Sudarmadji.<\/p>\n
He added, however, that the river's present water debit of 600
\nm3 per second in the dry season meant the river had to be dredged
\nto allow rafting and boating.<\/p>\n
Sudarmadji, whose doctorate dissertation dealt with the
\nenvironmental management of the Code River, said that the river,
\nbefore there was so much development along its banks, had more
\nthan 10 natural springs, apart from the stream coming from Mt.
\nMerapi, providing an endless supply of water.<\/p>\n
But construction by the armed forces in 1985, who were
\ndeployed to villages to help with rural development, reduced the
\nwidth of the river from 50 meters to 12 meters. As a result,
\nparts of Yogyakarta are regularly flooded during the rainy season
\nbecause there is no longer anywhere for the water to go.<\/p>\n
\"The plan to reshape the Code River should not worsen the
\nenvironment. Moreover, the flow of the Code River has a great
\nimpact on Yogyakarta's environment,\" Sudarmadji said.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Code Community Forum, Totok Pratopo,
\nwelcomed the plan \"as long as no people living along the
\nriverbank are evicted\".<\/p>\n
He added that some of the traditions of the Code residents,
\nlike the Mauludan and Saparan religious rituals, could attract
\ntourists.<\/p>\n
\"We're ready to assure the cleanliness of the river and its
\nsurrounding environment,\" Totok said.<\/p>\n
For the last five years, he said, residents living near the
\nCode River who flushed their toilets into the river or built
\ntoilets over the river, had been required to demolish the toilets
\nand built new public toilets, that could be managed by the whole
\ncommunity.<\/p>\n
New houses along the river are also required to be built
\nfacing the river, so their toilets will not be flushed into the
\nriver, he added.<\/p>\n
With this new plan for the river, more work to clean up the
\nCode and its water, as well as dredging the river to allow for
\nrafting, will have to be done.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cleaning-up-code-river-for-ecotourism-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}