N. Sumatra and Asahan Authority to save Lake Toba ecosystem<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed by the
\nprovincial government of North Sumatra and the Asahan Authority,
\nto save Lake Toba in the province.<\/p>\n
Having signed the MOU, North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin
\nand head of the Asahan Authority Saut M.P. Hutauruk, said that
\nthe two institutions would help protect the environment and
\necosystem of Lake Toba.<\/p>\n
The signing of the MOU on Tuesday was witnessed by nine
\nregents and mayors -- whose regencies or mayoralties are in the
\nvicinity of Lake Toba -- and three noted environmentalists, who
\nwere formerly ministers, Emil Salim, Sjarifuddin Baharsjah and
\nJustika Baharsjah.<\/p>\n
Rizal and Saut put forward separate statements underlining
\ntheir belief that cooperation was vital if Lake Toba was to be
\nsaved.<\/p>\n
Saut further explained that both parties should plan the
\nprotection program together to ensure that they stayed true to
\ntheir initial objectives.<\/p>\n
Rizal, when interviewed by The Jakarta Post, said that at
\npresent the conservation of Lake Toba was hindered by the
\ntraditional practice of burning the forest to clear land for
\nfarming.<\/p>\n
He said that enceng gondok (water hyacinth) growing in the
\nlake were also damaging the environment, along with fish farms
\noperated by big companies.
\n \"This seriously pollutes the lake,\" he asserted.<\/p>\n
Some district heads have also complained about the enceng
\ngondok in Lake Toba.<\/p>\n
The regent of Samosir, Wilmar Simarjorang, said that water
\nhyacinth were now growing in the lake from Pasanggrahan to Sitio
\nareas.<\/p>\n
According to him, this caused the lake to be so polluted that
\ntourists -- both foreign and domestic -- were reluctant to swim
\nthere.<\/p>\n
Rizal said that various steps to save Lake Toba had been
\ndevised by the provincial government as well as the Asahan
\nAuthority, including the organization of an environmental summit.<\/p>\n
After the summit, to be held as soon as possible, it is hoped
\nthat the Asahan Authority, and the government will allocate funds
\nfor various activities, such as reforestation and clearing enceng
\ngondok from the lake. \"We will also campaign to encourage the
\ninternational community to join the program,\" said Rizal.<\/p>\n
He said that seven targets had been specified in the MOU,
\nnamely: that the water of Lake Toba would be fit for drinking,
\nthat swimming would be safe, that fish farmed in the lake and
\nproduce grown in the vicinity would be fit for consumption, that
\nthe ecosystem would be protected, that power generation would be
\nestablished in the lake area and that flora and fauna in the area
\nwould be protected and the air free from pollution.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/n-sumatra-and-asahan-authority-to-save-lake-toba-ecosystem-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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