Warna Warni Bali |

Danau Batur tercemar bahan kimia (photo by: Ni Komang Erviani)

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Sat, 12/10/2011 8:44 AM |

The Bali administration has established a special team to save highly polluted Lake Batur, according to a government official.

Anak Agung Gde Alit Sastrawan, head of the Bali Environmental Agency, said on Friday that concrete action should be taken immediately before the lake’s condition worsened, considering that the lake was a main source of groundwater for the island.

“We have found sodium and phosphates in the lake’s water at an alarming level, in excess of the BOD [biological oxygen demand] level. Thus the lake’s water is not fit for human consumption,” he said after a meeting to decide on action to save the lake.

The high level of the chemicals was attributed to the economic activities of local people around the lake, who use chemical fertilizers for their farmland and feed their fish with food containing chemical substances.

The high amount of the chemical substances has reportedly triggered an abnormal level of aquatic plant growth  in the lake. The blooming plants in turn disrupt the balance of the lake’s ecosystem.

Pollution might also be aggravated by rampant illegal mining nearby.

“This is a warning for us to save the lake immediately,” he said.

A large part of the water from the lake flows to Tampaksiring, which hosts the sacred spring of Tirta Empul and provides water to paddy fields in Gianyar.

Batur is the largest of four lakes  on the island. Other large lakes include Lake Beratan in Tabanan, Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblingan in Buleleng.

The lake is one of the largest caldera lakes in the country. The government has also launched a program to turn it into a geological park.

“Batur is included [on a list of] 15 lakes in Indonesia that have been the focus of conservation programs by the central government,” Alit said.

Currently, the agency is still working on an action plan to save the lake. It has established a forum consisting of government officials, NGOs and the public.

“This forum will develop a comprehensive program to save the lake and evaluate the program,” Alit said.

One measure to prevent further pollution in the lake is finding an alternative source of income for local people, including by developing creative enterprises, such as making bamboo handicrafts.

It is also expected to encourage people to plant more bamboo, which has an ecological function of binding water.

“We are also trying to find other alternatives. It’s not really complicated. It just needs commitment from all stakeholders,” Alit added.

I Nyoman Gamayana, head of Kedisan village, said he supported the administration’s plan to save the lake. He said that the lake’s condition has degraded.

“We used to take water from the lake and drink it, but now we can’t. The water is smelly and dirty,” he said.

He expected that the action plan to save the lake would not neglect the economic interests of local people, since the lake has been their primary source of livelihood.

HIJAUKAN LAHAN KERING-Aksi penanaman pohon dilakukan pemerintah bersama masyarakat di lahan kering di Desa Tulamben, Kabupaten Karangasem, yang terletak tepat di kaki Gunung Agung, Jumat (2/12). Hingga Desember ini, Bali baru mampu menanam 724.700 batang pohon dari total 8,59 juta batang pohon yang ditargetkan tanam dalam tahun ini untuk menyukseskan program tanam satu milyar pohon karena terkendala musim hujan yang belum merata. (photo by: Ni Komang Erviani)

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Karangasem | Sat, 12/03/2011 10:38 AM

Bali has failed to achieve it’s target of planting 8.5 million trees on 21,031 hectares in a massive reforestation campaign. The campaign is part of a national program of planting 1 billion trees launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year.

The province has so far only managed to plant 724,700 trees, or 8.4 percent of the target set for the February 2011-January 2012 period, said I Gusti Ngurah Wiranatha, head of the provincial forestry agency.

He blamed the weather for the failure, claiming that many regions of Bali had not experienced the rainfall normally expected.

“The problem is that the rainy season has yet to arrive throughout Bali. If we plant the trees, we’re worried that the trees will die,” he said on the sidelines of the planting of 1,000 trees on parched land in Tulamben village in Karangasem regency.

Wiranatha said the tree planting would be prioritized in areas with a high intensity of rain.

“We have only planted in Tabanan, Jembrana and Bangli, and in some parts of Karangasem.”

The tree planting is carried out in forested areas and previously unforested areas on lands belonging to local people. On such land, the planted trees are mostly those which have an economic value so as to encourage people to take care of the trees.

“We are hopeful that the planting will achieve beneficial results and reach at least 80 percent of the target,” Wiranatha said.

He said the results of the planting was very much determined by the weather but that the most important thing was the number of trees that grew well, not necessarily the number of trees that had been planted.

The tree planting in Karangasem was held in observance of the national Tree Planting Day. The event was part of a bigger campaign targeting the planting of 12,000 trees.

“Due to the weather problems, particularly the uneven intensity of rain, we have only been able to plant 1,000 trees. These trees will be taken care of by the farmers of Tulamben village.”

The farmers have committed to plant the remaining 11,000 trees during the rainy season.

Wiranatha said that Bali would make greater efforts to meet the target of planting 8.59 million trees by the deadline of Jan. 31 next year.

“We still have two more months. We’re optimistic we can still achieve the target.”

Even if they missed their target, the planting would be continued next year, he added.

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, who led the tree-planting campaign in Karangasem, hoped people would be more aware of the campaign and participate in the planting of 1 billion trees.

The campaign, which is in line with the province’s Bali Clean and Green program, is crucial to help solving environmental and economic problems, as parched and eroded land can lead to problems causing poverty.

“We’re still facing the problems of drought and water crisis. Therefore, we need to plant more trees.”

Karangasem Regent Wayan Geredeg said people in the regency, where most of the land was relatively barren, were now more aware of the economic and environmental benefits of planting trees.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/12/03/bali-falls-far-short-reforestation-effort.html

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Fri, 07/17/2009 1:47 PM  |  Bali

Environmental activists from ProFauna Indonesia rallied recently to call for the protection of endangered turtles being exploited in the illegal wildlife trade over the last few years.

The activists unfurled a 100-meter-long banner at the worldrenowned Kuta Beach, which read, “One from 1,000 will survive.”

“We invite the people of Kuta and tourists alike to care about this endangered species,” said ProFauna chairman Rosek Nursahid. Read the rest of this entry »

Ni Komang Erviani

Puluhan aktivis lingkungan dari Profauna Indonesia Kamis (16/7) pagi menggelar aksi kampanye pelestarian penyu untuk mengajak wisatawan di Pantai Kuta peduli pada pelestarian penyu, hewan dilindungi secara hukum yang terancam punah akibat perdagangan. Aksi dilakukan dengan membentangkan spanduk sepanjang 100 meter bergambar 1000 ekor penyu dan bertuliskan “Only 1 from 1000 Will Survive”. Aksi juga diwarnai pembagian sticker bertuliskan pesan yang sama kepada wisatawan.

“Kami ingin membuat wisatawan dan masyarakat yang ada di Pantai Kuta ini menjadi sadar bahwa dari berbagai hasil penelitian hanya ada satu ekor penyu dari 1000 ekor yang akan bisa bertahan hidup di habitatnya. Yang lainnya akan mati karena kemampuan penyu bertahan hidup memang sangat rendah,” tegas Chairman of Profauna Rosek Nursahid dalam aksi yang juga diikuti artis Melanie Subono itu. Read the rest of this entry »

Ni Komang Erviani

Sebanyak 23 kepala daerah dari seluruh Indonesia pada Rabu (15/7) menandatangani kesepakatan untuk mendesak pemerintah pusat membuat payung hukum pengelolaan kebun raya daerah. Kesepakatan yang diberi nama Deklarasi Bedugul itu, dibuat pada Diskusi Ilmiah Upaya Percepatan Pembangunan Kebun Raya Daerah di Indonesia, serangkaian peringatan 50 tahun Kebun Raya Eka Karya di kawasan Bedugul Tabanan Bali.

Kesepakatan tersebut ditandatangani langsung oleh Bupati Katingan Duwel Rawing, Bupati Kuningan Aang Hamid Suganda, Bupati Samosir Mangindar Simbolon, dan Bupati Minahasa Stefanus Vreeke Runtu. Sementara 19 daerah lainnya ditandatangani oleh perwakilan masing-masing, yakni Gubernur Jambi, Gubernur Jawa Tengah, Gubernur Kalimantan Barat, Gubernur Sulawesi Selatan, Gubernur Nusa Tenggara Barat, Bupati Banyumas, Bupati Enrekang, Bupati Lampung Barat, Bupati Lombok Timur, Bupati Solok, Bupati Sanggau, Bupati Samosir, Bupati Sambas, Bupati Maros, Bupati Tebo, Walikota Balikpapan, Walikota Batam, Walikota Kendari, Ketua Otorita Batam. Deklarasi juga ditandatangani perwakilan Menteri Pekerjaan Umum dan Kepala Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (LIPI) Prof Dr Umar Anggara Jenie. Read the rest of this entry »

Ni Komang Erviani ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Tabanan   |  Fri, 07/17/2009 1:47 PM  |  Bali

Twenty-three governors, regents and mayors have signed a declaration demanding a legal basis for the management of regional botanical parks across Indonesia.

The Bedugul Pact was signed Wednesday on the sidelines of a scientific discussion to mark the 50th anniversary of the Bedugul Eka Karya Botanical Park in Tabanan regency, Bali.

Among the signatories were the governors of Central Java, South Sulawesi, West Kalimantan, West Nusa Tenggara and Jambi. Read the rest of this entry »

Okezone - Sabtu, 22 Maret 2008 - 22:49 wib

DENPASAR - Sembilan bayi di Rumah Sakit Sanglah tiba-tiba dihadiahi bibit pohon. Pohon-pohon tersebut diberikan khusus kepada bayi yang lahir pada World Silent Day (hari hening sedunia), 21 Maret lalu. Read the rest of this entry »

Okezone - Rabu, 20 Februari 2008 - 00:09 wib

DENPASAR - Usulan Bali untuk mengadopsi konsep Hari Raya Nyepi melalui World Silent Day untuk mengurangi emisi, ternyata direspons positif oleh masyarakat internasional. Sayangnya, respons baik belum datang dari Indonesia. Respons atas usul World Silent Day yang sudah diusulkan dalam Konferensi PBB tentang Perubahan Iklim (UNFCCC) pada Desember 2007 lalu itu, di antaranya datang dari masyarakat dari Amerika, Belanda, dan Jerman. Read the rest of this entry »

BULELENG - Keakraban Daeng Hayak (71 tahun) dengan bom ikan dan potasium, kini tinggal sejarah. Padahal, keseharian Daeng di masa lalu tak pernah lepas dari bom ikan dan potas. Pria keturunan bugis yang lahir dan besar di Desa Sumberkima Kecamatan Gerokgak Kabupaten Buleleng Bali itu, dulunya termasuk salah satu nelayan pencari ikan dengan bom. Meski ia mengaku punya alasan untuk itu. ”Sebab saya dulu nggak tahu harus bekerja apa lagi. Sementara anak-anak harus makan dan tetap sekolah,” kenang ayah dari 10 anak itu. Read the rest of this entry »

Sebagian wilayah Danau Buyan di Buleleng Bali, kini berubah menjadi padang rumput luas.

Ketika awan yang menggelayut di atas langit Danau Buyan Buleleng Bali makin gelap, Wayan Mustanda (39 tahun) tetap asyik dengan sabit di tangannya. Dua buah karung plastik besar yang dibawanya dari rumah, nyaris penuh terisi rumput. “Sekarang lebih gampang cari rumput. Apalagi setelah danau di sini surut,” terang Mustanda yang sehari-hari beternak sapi. Mencari rumput untuk pakan ternak setiap hari, sudah menjadi rutinitas Mustanda sejak masih kanak-kanak. Namun sejak beberapa tahun belakangan, Mustanda mendapatkan lahan rumput luas yang tak pernah habis dan makin hari makin meluas. Yakni di atas lahan bekas danau buyan yang surut. “Dulu danau ini luas. Sampai ujung tanggul di sana,” cerita Mustanda sambil menunjuk ke arah tanggul danau seluas 478,33 hektar itu. Read the rest of this entry »