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.