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.