Island paradise not immune from trashy Jakarta

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It was late afternoon on Kotok island, the sea calm with hardly a ripple breaking the surface. I walked along the beach soaking up the sun and nearly tripped on a plastic cup.

Such is life in Jakarta. With a population of about 11 million by day, there is virtually no place in the city to reconnect with nature. Not even on this island, almost two hours from Marina Ancol in North Jakarta.

Kotok island is one of some 106 islands in the Seribu Islands Regency. Located about 55.5 kilometers from Marina Ancol, it is admittedly in better condition than some of the islands closer to the shores of the capital, such as Onrust island (about 14 kilometers away) or Rambut island (about 22 kilometers away).

"The problem is Jakarta's population. About six tons of rubbish are washed ashore on the islands every day," Daniel "Abi" Abimanju Carnadie, manager of the Bubbles Dive Center, said.

Kotok is a favorite site for Jakarta scuba divers with a tight schedule, and as such any amount of debris stuck in corals or lying on the beach is quite distressing for scuba-toting city dwellers trying to de-stress.

This was one of the reasons that Bubbles Dive Center and Alam Kotok Resort has conducted a Cleanup Day campaign on and around Kotok island for the last five years. The activity is organized as part of International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day held every September around the world.

During the event last year, the 60 participants collected more than 1,000 plastic bottles and cups, as well as 186 fast-food containers, 761 rubber slippers, 266 meters of fishing line, 17 kilograms of plastic sheets and 301 kilograms of construction material around Kotok, Karya and Semadaun islands.

"This is how we pay back Mother Nature after taking so much from her," Abi said, explaining that even though the activity covers only a small area, it was a good means to educate people about marine conservation.

ICC -- now in its 18th year -- was the brainchild of Washington-based The Ocean Conservancy and is supported by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors' project AWARE (Aquatic World Awareness, Responsibility and Education).

The aim is to remove debris from the shorelines, waterways and beaches of the world's lakes, rivers and oceans -- above and below the water, collect information on the amount and sources of debris, heighten public awareness of the everyday activities and behaviors that result in litter and debris, and to use the information collected to effect positive change and promote water pollution prevention efforts worldwide.

Last year ICC attracted the participation of nearly 400,000 people in 100 countries, combing an area of 19,956 kilometers of beach and shoreline and collecting about 3.7 million kilograms of trash. Under water, over 9,000 divers collected 105,233 kilograms of trash.

Most of the debris found came from land-based sources such as beach picnics, inappropriate or illegal dumping and general littering, The Ocean Conservancy said in the website www.coastalcleanup.org

"Last year, volunteers found enough drinking containers to provide a family of five with one case a day for the next 139 years!" it said, explaining that many people do not realize that trash travels and that a piece of trash on the street can get washed into storm drains and end up in the ocean.

Used plastic cups and bottles from commercialized drinking water pose the biggest problem here. Improperly disposed of, these often find their way to the sea and to the islands.

Not only are they an eyesore, but debris can also be dangerous to marine wildlife. Six-pack holders, fishing line and nets entangle animals, while straws, balloons and plastic bags can be mistaken for food and ingested.

"Fishing line or other debris that is wrapped around fins or flippers can cause circulation loss and eventual amputation as the animal grows, or worse -- strangulation," the group said in a statement.

With less participation this year -- about 40 local and foreign divers -- the Cleanup Day organized by Bubbles succeeded in collecting 462 plastic cups, bottles and bowls, 412 styrofoam containers, 46 cans, one meter of wire, 43 pieces of broken glass and 56 sandals and shoes.

"It wasn't because there was less interest this year, just that we couldn't handle so many people," Abi said.