Bahorok resort reopens after 8 months

Bahorok resort reopens after 8 months

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan

The Bukit Lawang tourist area in Bahorok district, North Sumatra,
has reopened to the public after being closed for eight months
following a flash flood in December that left over 180 people
dead and 80 missing.

Langkat Vice Regent Yunus Saragih released three orangutans
into the wild and planted young meranti trees around the resort
to mark its reopening on Saturday.

Residents in the area hailed the reopening, although much of
the infrastructure in the area is still in bad shape, including
the main road leading to Bahorok, which is badly potholed.

The residents said they were happy as they could now reopen
their businesses in the resort.

Most of the people living in Bukit Lawang are vendors selling
food, beverages and handicrafts. Many also provide cheap tourist
accommodation.

A local community figure, Mujeni, said the residents had
wanted the resort to be reopened earlier as many foreign tourists
had continued to visit Bukit Lawang, unaware that it was closed.

"When they came here, they always asked when Bukit Lawang
would be reopened. They wanted it to be reopened as quickly as
possible so that they could visit the orangutan rehabilitation
center. It is these sort of tourists who make our businesses
prosper," Mujeni said.

The vice regent said the government had banned residents from
renovating structures or erecting new ones within a distance of
100 meters on either side of the river.

The ban was issued to prevent the possibility of more
disasters as there were still many logs in the upstream area that
could be propelled downstream during flooding, with disastrous
consequences, Yunus explained.

He said the local government was planning to build 354 low-
cost houses on a 14-hectare site for the victims of the December
flood.

The central government recently allocated Rp 25 billion
(US$2.8 million) for the Bahorok victims so that they could
rebuild their homes and damaged facilities.

The director of the Mount Leuser National Park management
board, Hartlamas Susetyo, said that based on routine surveys,
there were currently at least 237 orangutans in Bukit Lawang.

Of the 20 orangutans in the resort's quarantine area, three
were infants. "They are in good shape and are under continuous
observation," he said.