Maligo springs start to dry up due to rampant illegal logging
Maligo springs start to dry up due to rampant illegal logging
Irvan NR, Palu
The Maligo springs in Madale subdistrict, Poso regency, Central
Sulawesi, are on the verge of drying up due to rampant logging in
the area.
The facts on the ground show that the water flowing through
Madale and the two adjacent subdistricts of Lawanga and
Tegalrejo, which residents greatly depend on for their everyday
needs, has drastically declined.
Poso Kota subdistrict secretary Sudarmanto said that local
people had long been complaining about reductions in water flow,
but due to the unstable situation in Poso following the outbreak
of sectarian conflict in 2000, the problem had yet to be
addressed.
He said the subdistrict was currently disseminating
information on boundary lines in the areas where the springs were
located, with local villagers to be subsequently prohibited from
clearing forest within these lines to establish plantations.
He hoped the villagers would understand the need for this and
comply with the ban.
"After the boundary lines have been drawn, the villagers will
have to cease their agricultural activities in the area,"
Sudarmanto said on Monday.
In the meantime, Poso forestry and agriculture office director
Nahardi said the Maligo springs area had been designated as a
forest reserve since 1949.
This still applied, and nobody was permitted to carry out
logging or clear land there for agricultural purposes, he said.
"We are committed to preserving the protected forest," he
said.
Nahardi also urged villagers in the three subdistricts to
adhere to the ban by not trespassing around the springs.
Those who had earlier established unauthorized plantations
inside the perimeter would have to abandon them, he said.
"The drawing up of boundaries will be useless if villagers
continue to farm and clear land inside the area," he said.
Nahardi invited the villagers to participate by planting
boundary stakes. "If everyone is committed, this will then
prevent others from clearing land in the future," he said.
The Maligo springs are located in a mountainous area of Madale
subdistrict. The crystal-clear water is piped to homes and
settlements in three subdistricts.
But the water flow normally diminishes during the dry season,
often forcing people to queue for water.
"We feel the effects most during the dry season when we have
to be patient and wait our turn for water," said Budi, a resident
of Tegalrejo neighborhood.