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.