N. Sumatra and Asahan Authority to save Lake Toba ecosystem

N. Sumatra and Asahan Authority to save Lake Toba ecosystem

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed by the
provincial government of North Sumatra and the Asahan Authority,
to save Lake Toba in the province.

Having signed the MOU, North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin
and head of the Asahan Authority Saut M.P. Hutauruk, said that
the two institutions would help protect the environment and
ecosystem of Lake Toba.

The signing of the MOU on Tuesday was witnessed by nine
regents and mayors -- whose regencies or mayoralties are in the
vicinity of Lake Toba -- and three noted environmentalists, who
were formerly ministers, Emil Salim, Sjarifuddin Baharsjah and
Justika Baharsjah.

Rizal and Saut put forward separate statements underlining
their belief that cooperation was vital if Lake Toba was to be
saved.

Saut further explained that both parties should plan the
protection program together to ensure that they stayed true to
their initial objectives.

Rizal, when interviewed by The Jakarta Post, said that at
present the conservation of Lake Toba was hindered by the
traditional practice of burning the forest to clear land for
farming.

He said that enceng gondok (water hyacinth) growing in the
lake were also damaging the environment, along with fish farms
operated by big companies.
"This seriously pollutes the lake," he asserted.

Some district heads have also complained about the enceng
gondok in Lake Toba.

The regent of Samosir, Wilmar Simarjorang, said that water
hyacinth were now growing in the lake from Pasanggrahan to Sitio
areas.

According to him, this caused the lake to be so polluted that
tourists -- both foreign and domestic -- were reluctant to swim
there.

Rizal said that various steps to save Lake Toba had been
devised by the provincial government as well as the Asahan
Authority, including the organization of an environmental summit.

After the summit, to be held as soon as possible, it is hoped
that the Asahan Authority, and the government will allocate funds
for various activities, such as reforestation and clearing enceng
gondok from the lake. "We will also campaign to encourage the
international community to join the program," said Rizal.

He said that seven targets had been specified in the MOU,
namely: that the water of Lake Toba would be fit for drinking,
that swimming would be safe, that fish farmed in the lake and
produce grown in the vicinity would be fit for consumption, that
the ecosystem would be protected, that power generation would be
established in the lake area and that flora and fauna in the area
would be protected and the air free from pollution.