Reforestation dubbed as the answer to water problems in Java island<\/p>\n
Riyadi Suparno, The Jakarta Post, Semarang<\/p>\n
As recently as the early 1960s, wild birds could be heard
\nsinging, entertaining farmers on the slopes of Mount Merbabu,
\nCentral Java. And jungle fowl, deer, monkeys, even tigers were a
\ncommon sight, wandering through nearby forests.<\/p>\n
Today though, the wild forests have disappeared, along with
\nits wildlife. What exists are fungi-infested pine forests, with
\nmonkeys that have become a nuisance for village farmers in the
\ndistrict of Kopeng on the slopes of Mount Merbabu.<\/p>\n
Not only that, farmers in the area are now worried about
\ndepleting sources of water to irrigate their fields, drink and
\nwash.<\/p>\n
Budi Pramono, a farmer in Nglelo, said water levels at nearby
\nsprings had decreased over recent years.<\/p>\n
\"We are afraid that our area will become like Gunung Kidul,
\nYogyakarta, where people import water from other areas during the
\ndry season,\" Budi said.<\/p>\n
Similar concerns were also aired by Widiyono, a farmer in the
\nnearby village of Keragilan in Magelang. \"Our village does not
\nsuffer from water shortages, but villages below us sometimes do.\"<\/p>\n
Their shared concern is not an exaggeration, as protected
\nforests on the slopes of Merbabu have been slowly destroyed.<\/p>\n
As farmers are not able to collect wood anymore from nearby
\npine forests, they have begun to slowly encroach on protected
\nforests, located three kilometers up the mountain.<\/p>\n
According to F. Rahardi from the Indonesian Agrotourism
\nAssociation, 60 families of farmers in Nglelo alone consume
\naround 7,500 tons of wood per annum, most of it used for cooking.<\/p>\n
This requires some 14.3 hectares of forest to meet their daily
\nneeds.<\/p>\n
\"This is only for farmers in Nglelo. What about farmers in
\nother villages at the foot of Merbabu? It would need hundreds of
\nhectares of forests,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He suggested that state plantation company PT Perhutani, which
\nmanages pine forests in the area, cut down all the pine trees and
\nchange them to mixed plantations.<\/p>\n
Farmers Budi Pramono and Widiyono agreed and called on the
\ngovernment to allow farmers in the area manage the forests for
\nPerhutani.<\/p>\n
\"This way, we would not have to encroach anymore on conserved
\nforests in Merbabu,\" Budi told visiting Coordinating Minister for
\nEconomy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti and Coordinating Minister for
\nPeople's Welfare Jusuf Kalla on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Dorodjatun and Jusuf Kalla attended a gathering of Merbabu
\nfarmers in Nglelo, organized by the Qaryah Thayyibah farmers
\nassociation.<\/p>\n
At the gathering, the two ministers also heard concerns of
\nfarmers from villages near Kedungombo Dam and from villages
\naround Lake Rawa Pening near Salatiga, Central Java.<\/p>\n
Farmers from Rawa Pening reported concerns over the
\nsedimentation of the lake due to erosion along the banks of
\nrivers supplying water to the lake.<\/p>\n
Farmers from Kedungombo reported similar concerns over the
\nfalling water levels at Kedungombo Dam.<\/p>\n
Dorodjatun shared their concern and said the lack of water on
\nthe slopes of Merbabu and the falling water levels at Kedungombo
\nDam and Lake Rawa Pening indicated the deterioration of the
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
\"The main problem affecting Java is its varying water levels.
\nDuring the dry season, we face a scarcity of water. But when the
\nrainy season comes, Java floods,\" Dorodjatun said.<\/p>\n
If the water problem cannot be solved, it will adversely
\naffect farming, business, as well as most people's daily lives.<\/p>\n
Specifically, the falling water levels at dams will affect
\npower supplies, because much of Java's electricity is generated
\nby hydroelectric power plants.<\/p>\n
\"This all happens because Java has fewer and fewer forests. If
\nwe have no forests, we will have no water.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, to solve the water problem, we have to reforest
\nthe whole of Java and we have to find ways to do it,\" Dorodjatun
\ntold the farmers.<\/p>\n
Supporting Dorodjatun's statement, Jusuf called on farmers,
\ncivil society, as well as local administrations to assume greater
\nresponsibility for the environment.<\/p>\n
\"In this era of decentralization, you cannot rely anymore
\nsolely on the central government. All of us are responsible for
\nthe environment.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/reforestation-dubbed-as-the-answer-to-water-problems-in-java-island-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}