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.