Tondano Lake under threat

MANADO, North Sulawesi: A total of 24 tons of mud resulting from erosion flow into Lake Tondano every year, resulting in the lake becoming increasingly shallow, thereby endangering its ecosystem.

Human resources development chief at the Provincial Agricultural Office Sinis Munandar said the sedimentation problem was the result of the excessive use of land for agriculture, industry and housing purposes.

Official data released in 2000 revealed that almost 90 percent of the forests along the rivers flowing into the lake had been converted to agricultural, industrial or development uses.

The critical condition of the forests, compounded by poor land management, has resulted in a level of erosion that exceeded the tolerable limit, Munandar said.

He was speaking during a seminar to raise awareness about the need to save Lake Tondano, which was organized to coincide with the 30th anniversary celebration of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.

Munandar urged people living, or using land, along rivers to comply with proper land and water conservation principles so as to prevent more erosion and further damage to the lake. -- Antara