Peat reclamation project yields harvest of discord

Peat reclamation project yields harvest of discord

By Yudha Kartohadiprodjo

JAKARTA (JP): Good intentions do not always yield good
results, particularly if the actions are carried out without
careful consideration.

A case in point is the ambitious one-million-hectare peat
reclamation program, intended to change peat swamp forest in
Central Kalimantan into agricultural land.

"If such a project is not undertaken, Indonesia could become a
major rice importer," then president Soeharto said at the
launching of the program at the beginning of 1996.

Thirteen government ministries, led by the Ministry of Public
Works and with private sector support, were appointed to get it
started. Yet, despite its Rp 5 trillion cost, equivalent to
US$2.17 billion at the time of inception, no Environmental Impact
Analysis (AMDAL) was conducted.

It whipped up a whirlwind of controversy from the outset.
Environmentalists have decried the project as both off-target and
environmentally degrading. They claim it will merely exacerbate
the problems of Kalimantan's ecosystem, already severely damaged
by activities of logging companies.

The monetary crisis has put the project on hold for the time
being.

This has not quieted the criticism; the NGO Network for Forest
Conservation in Indonesia (SKEPHI) declares the program has
caused irreversible damage to the ecological and social structure
of Central Kalimantan.

"The program has dealt a final blow to the already damaged
rain forest ecosystem of Kalimantan," Hasjrul Juniad from the
International Fund for Animal Welfare told media recently.

During a media conference, representatives from SKEPHI, the
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Telapak
Indonesia revealed the damage caused by the colossal project.

SKEPHI coordinator Indro Tjahjono said: "Currently, the
inhabitants of Central Kalimantan are facing floods, drought and
famine. Such developments will only add to their agony, after
recently being hit by the forest fire.

"All of these disasters, forest fires, floods, drought and
famine, may be the outcome of the program."

The program set out to convert the one million hectares into
632,000 hectares of rice fields and 362,000 hectares for
horticulture, plantations, conservation areas, housing and
reservoirs.

Lack of careful study may have been the project's undoing. A
study by the Bogor Agricultural Institute revealed that less than
30 percent of the area designated for agriculture was actually
suitable for planting crops.

"Peat in Kalimantan contains a really high toxic level. The
reclamation program will require a neutralization process using a
tremendous amount of sulfur," Indra said. "The process not only
leads to higher cost of reclamation, but also to less fertile
land, not quite productive for agriculture."

The discontinuance of the project does not mean the cessation
of environmental damage. "

Now that the swamp has turned dry, the toxins seeps to the
surface," Hasjrul said. "As the result, the river ecosystem is
contaminated by minerals and chemical. The fish supply has been
decreasing."

The program also altered the traditional fishing method of the
Dayak people. They formerly constructed ponds, known as Beje, on
the banks of the river. As the river flooded, the ponds would be
filled by the overflow of water and eventually fish. When the
river's water level dropped, the pond would usually be filled
with an abundance of fish. But this is no longer possible.

The peat swamp had acted as a sponge for the ecosystem. During
the monsoon season, the swamp usually absorbed water and served
as a buffer. During the dry season, the swamp retains moisture to
cool down the air. But now the project has caused a change in the
rain cycle.

At the media conference, a short documentary produced by the
SKEPHI support office in Europe was also shown. Compiled from an
investigative trip along major rivers of Central Kalimantan, the
film is a depressing, moving picture of the current environmental
problems.

In one sequence, a dinghy filled with a Dayak man, his wife
and two sons cuts through the calm, black water of Central
Kalimantan's swamp. A sack of rice sits in the center of the
dinghy. They are off to mine the equator's precious treasure:
timber. Their equipment is a chain saw, placed at the stern of
the dinghy.

On a separate occasion, Koesnadi Wirahsapoetra, a field
researcher from the Indonesian Forum on the Environment, Walhi,
said increased logging activities in Kalimantan led to
disintegration of social norms and function. In the past,
traditional logging activities required the village council's
approval. Yet, due to the depleting food supply and the
destruction of their rattan fields, the Dayaks are left with no
choice but to break the old custom.

Walhi is organizing a seminar on the exploitation of the
Kalimantan rain forest, scheduled to take place at Hotel Patra,
Jl. Gatot Subroto, Central Jakarta, on Aug. 6. Representatives of
the Dayak will also participate.