300 families lose their livelihood

Andi Hajramurni The Jakarta Post/Makassar

Some 300 families of farmers and fishermen in Parangloe district in Gowa regency are fast losing their main source of income as most of their paddy fields and Je'neberang river where they used to fish are filled with mud.

With the heavy rain that started in December, the situation is getting worse for local residents as mud from Mount Bawakaraeng, where a landslide took place in March last year, is being flushed down by heavy rain.

Residents in three villages -- Lunjuk Boko, Bori Sallang, Bonto Parang -- as well as those in Lanna subdistrict, all in Parangloe, are virtually unable to work.

According to the head of Parangloe district, Marsuki, at least 40 keramba, a basket put into a stream for raising fish, were damaged and could not be used.

A keramba usually comprises of six to eight sections, with each producing around 70 kilograms of freshwater fish every harvest time. The fish is then sold at Rp 12,000 per kilogram.

Now, around 470 hectares of paddy field in Parangloe is covered by a 50 centimeter-thick layer of mud, making planting or harvesting impossible.

"Anytime rain falls, mud from the mountain flushes down into the river," Marsuki said.

Local residents expressed hope that the local government would relocate them to safer areas, allowing them to get back to work.

Marsuki said the residents in his district wanted to relocate to Bella Pungranga village in Tinggi Moncong area which has similar geographical conditions as the three affected villages and the subdistrict.

The local administration had tried to dredge the river, but since the muds was simply moved to the riverbank, when the rain fell, the mud was flushed back into the river.

The muds have also caused high sedimentation in Bili-Bili dam, the main source of untreated water for Somba Apu water purifying plant that provides clean water for residents in the southern part of Makassar.

The dam stopped operation for a week in mid January due to the high level of mud in the water, which was at 41,800 nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU). Previously, the level stood at below 50 NTU.

Head of Bili-bili water resources management and development project, Mansyie Nahumuri, acknowledged the dam's high sedimentation level was the result of the landslide in Mount Bawakaraeng.

He said that the situation disrupted clean water production as well as the irrigation of 24,000 hectares of paddy fields that relied on the dam.

But he played down people's concerns that the high sedimentation level would damage the dam. He said the dam could handle 24 million cubic meters of sedimentation, adding that the latest sedimentation survey in August showed that the sedimentation stood at four million cubic meters.

"Currently, Bili-bili dam is not in a dangerous condition," he said, saying that maximum water level is 99.5 meters while at present, it is 92 meters.

"If the water level is over the limit, we'll release it a bit to bring it back to normal," Mansyie said.

He said that in normal conditions, the dam would be safe for the next 50 years, but in the present condition, it might only last for between 10 and 20 years.