Illuminating tale of malaria at the Belimbing lighthouse

Illuminating tale of malaria at the Belimbing lighthouse

By Agus Suroso

BANDARLAMPUNG (Antara): A leaning but solid old lighthouse is
seen as one enters the Sunda Strait from the Indian Ocean.

In order to reach the 119-year-old Teluk Belimbing lighthouse,
200 kms southwest of Bandarlampung in West Lampung regency, one
has to travel by sea for six hours from Kota Agung, Tanggamus
regency. There is no road to the location.

It is a very solid construction made of iron plates about five
cms thick and strongly linked by thousands of nuts and bolts.

Built in 1879, the lighthouse is a mute testimony to the
forced labor widely used during the colonial era.

Many workers died during the construction, according to
Nursin, who has lived in lighthouses for more than three decades.
He previously worked in lighthouses at Belitung, the Bangka
Strait, and the Sunda Strait.

The isolated location of the Belimbing lighthouse is prone to
malaria. Quite a few lighthouse keepers have been attacked by the
malignant mosquitoes.

"Pak Harjo, our chief, has just left because of malaria. When
somebody gets malaria, he must return home for treatment because
the facilities here are limited," said Nursin, the father of 10
children.

A malaria attack is one of the sorrows of lighthouse keepers
because, apart from its debilitating effect through frequent
fevers, pain in the knees hampers people climbing the steps of
the lighthouse.

In 1966 a guard at Belimbing lighthouse and his child died of
malaria. In 1976 three children succumbed to malaria and could
not be saved due to the scarcity of medicine.

Those victims of malaria were buried around the lighthouse
building which covers an area of one hectare. Lying next to them
are the graves of a number of Dutchmen who worked in the
lighthouse.

Lighthouse keepers, living in isolated and sparsely populated
areas, often have to cope with problems of food and medicine
shortages.

To anticipate food shortages, the keepers at Belimbing plant
maize or sweet potatoes.

Nursin said that from 1965 to 1968, when the economy was in a
shambles, he often did not receive enough food rations. He used
to sail the high seas and signal with crossed flags to passing
foreign ships asking for help.

The current conditions are much better. The keepers work in
shifts. Food and fuel are supplied every four months. "It is good
now. There is no hunger anymore. Two tons of fuel are supplied to
keep the lighthouse functioning," Nursin said.

The 69-meter high Belimbing lighthouse consists of 18 levels.
To reach the light beacon at the top, one has to ascend 266
steps. There is a landing after every 15 steps that can be used
to take a breather and to look outside the building.

From the top, outside the lighthouse, one can clearly see
large ships sailing by, the big waves of the Indian Ocean rolling
with white foam into the coast and the verdant greenery of the
South Bukit Barisan National Park forest.

Eerieness envelops people when entering the rooms in the
lighthouse. The sounds of waves and the sea wind create a silent
and uneasy atmosphere in the lighthouse.

"There are many strange stories. One day, when I was about to
do my morning prayers before sunrise, I saw a woman in a white
dress passing here and vanishing into the dark morning," said
Nursin.

On another occasion a foreign tourist who was on a visit to
the lighthouse became frightened because a white woman suddenly
appeared, tapped him on the shoulder and then disappeared.

"The tourist went down the stairs in great fear and left in a
hurry. Maybe the spirit thought the tourist was her friend," said
Zulendra, a tourist guide.

The physical condition of the Belimbing lighthouse is a cause
of some concern. Many steps are rotten, the lightning conductor
is destroyed and held in place by a piece of wood so that the
cable does not touch the iron plates of the walls. This would be
dangerous if lightning struck.

"I have reported the damage to the directorate general of sea
communications. So far there have been no repairs. Usually the
articles needed for repairs come from Jakarta every four months
together with the changing of keepers and the delivery of food
rations," said Nursin.

The communications equipment is in a similar state of
disrepair, so that outside contact is made by using the
facilities of PT Sac Nusantara, the ecotourism company managing
the South Bukit Barisan National Park.

Maintenance work on the lighthouse building was last done in
1994, when the walls were painted white and the decayed ironwork
welded back together.

Despite the new layer of white paint, the iron walls of the
Belimbing lighthouse look faded, especially the lower part of the
tower which is corroding as a result of being submerged by sea
water after the tremendous eruption of Krakatau in 1883.

The big waves churned by Mount Krakatau, said Nursin,
submerged the lower part of the tower up to eight meters. The
high water killed six of the seven or eight keepers trapped at
the time.

The violence of the tsunami waves, generated by the Krakatau
explosion, caused the lighthouse to slant three to five degrees.
However, in spite of all this, the Belimbing lighthouse still
looks solid.

The presence of the Belimbing lighthouse is acknowledged by
all seafaring people, from the captains of large oil tankers to
traditional fishing boats, passing the crowded Sunda Strait, as a
vital facility because by observing the rotation of its lamps,
they can avoid accidents at sea and loss of direction.

"We are grateful that there have so far been no accidents at
sea," said Nursin, who is shortly due to retire from the daily
trudge up the 266 steps.