Sedimentation affects Jambi river

Sedimentation affects Jambi river

Jon Afrizal, Jambi

Excess sedimentation in the Batanghari River has increased at an
alarming pace due to illegal logging up river in Jambi's forests,
according to a local environmentalist group.

The sedimentation is worrying because it has made the river so
muddy that the local community can no longer use the water for
daily needs. The extreme amount of sediment has also disrupted
river transportation, preventing large boats from sailing into
Jambi port. The sedimentation in the river, the main river in
Jambi province, has caused flooding in Jambi and its neighboring
provinces.

Mahendra Taher, a spokesperson for the Jambi branch of the
Indonesian Conservation Community, estimated on Friday that the
amount of sedimentation in the 690-kilometer long river reached
5.9 million tons in 2001, almost twice the sedimentation of the
measured 1996 level, which reached 3.3 million tons.

The sedimentation has made the river shallower, from between
eight to 10 meters in depth a few years ago, to just six meters
now.

In some places, the river's width can reach between 300 to 500
meters. "People can no longer use the river water for laundry,
for example," said Mahendra.

The sedimentation also prevents large cargo or passenger ships
from sailing into Jambi ports, thus disrupting the Jambi economy.

According to Mahendra, the damage done to Batanghari River is
mainly attributed to the rapid pace of deforestation, including
in the upper reaches of the river.

In 1990, forests in Jambi covered over 2.4 million hectares,
but 10 years later, it shrank to 1.4 million hectares.

The deforestation, which is caused by rampant illegal logging
and forest conversion into plantations, has led to the erosion of
the river. The loose soil then drains into the river clogging it.

In order to prevent further sedimentation, Mahendra and his
group have demanded that the government to capture and punish to
the fullest extent of the law all illegal loggers, and the
government must also embark on a serious reforestation program in
the province.