Savior of Natural Springs

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Idris Sahidu

Concerned about the declining number of natural springs in Maluk district, West Sumbawa regency, West Nusa Tenggara, Idris Sahidu, 64, was motivated to do something. Little by little, he planted trees in the forest area, which has seen the return of the springs.

"Natural sources of water were running out. If the number of springs continued to decline, humans and animals would probably \'eat\' each other," Idris, a resident of the RT 009/RW 003 neighborhood community unit in Maluk village, Maluk district, said on Wednesday (4/4/2018).

Idris\'s comments were based on his observations of the poor upstream to downstream conditions of a river, which was damaged by landslides caused by floods during the rainy season.

The same condition occurred on the deforested land of Kesi Forest in the Sejorong Forest Management Area, as well as areas in Kuantar of Bukit Damai village, Maluk district.

Kuantar, which is located in the mining concession of PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (now controlled by PT Amman Mineral), also consists of land the local people own individually. As a result, vegetation and trees were felled indiscriminately.

They then converted their plots into farms to plant corn. The loss of trees that supported the ability of the land to absorb and retain runoff caused the local water sources to dry up, and a number of natural springs were lost.

According to Idris, these two areas saw the number of water sources decline from 38 springs in 2003 to 23 in 2005, which fell to 11 in 2011-2012, and down to only two springs last year.

The degradation of the area disrupted the survival of living creatures. In 2000, Idris even witnessed a "war" among animals trying to drink from a spring.

To record the conflict that was triggered among the animals, he made a ladder so he coucld to climb a nearby tree.

"A female monkey was screeching because her son was thirsty. The mother went through the group, scooping up water with its right hand to give it to her child to drink," said Idris. "Unlike humans, it is impossible for animals to buy bottled water when they are thirsty," he said.

Conservation

The incident left a deep mark on Idris. Since then, he spent his days in the Kesi Forest planting seedlings in the Sejorong area, after he had obtained permission from the relevant agencies. However, at the beginning, the hundreds of sonokeling (rosewood) and mahogany seedlings he planted died when they were eaten and trampled by cattle. Even if the seedling grew a little, it was cut down to be utilized.

He then switched to planting banyan seedlings in the area. He obtained the banyan seedlings through grafting. He utilized old containers and rice sacks filled with soil and compost to multiply the seedlings. Idris had taught himself the grafting and composting techniques on a plot of land a neighbor owned.

In order to prevent the 2-meter-tall, 2-year-old banyan seedlings from being trampled by cattle, Idris and his wife, Hamisa, moved them deep into the forest. Using their own money, they hired a horse for Rp 150,000 to transport the seedlings to the forest entrance, 3 kilometers from their home.

Idris carried the remaining seedlings, which weighed around 3 kilograms each, up into the hills to plant them in the forest. Idris built a terasering (terraced farming) irrigation system around the area to prevent water from running off the land.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Idris Sahidu (left)

Drinking water for animals

The water absorption capacity of the soil, said Idris, benefited conservation efforts, as it improved the structure and organic content of the soil. "I chose banyan trees because the roots are solid and strong enough to withstand erosion, they grow relatively rapidly and they have abundant leaves to draw water from underground sources. Most importantly, people do not like banyan trees, so that they are not [cut down and] stolen," he said.

Idris has planted at least 300 banyan trees in the Sejorong Forest, where three springs have reemerged to provide a source of fresh water, years after they had stopped flowing. Now, the location is a resting place for people collecting fuelwood in the forest. Meanwhile, at Bukit Damai, a spring is also producing an adequate supply of water.

Idris also took the time to help provide drinking water for monkeys, cattle and other animals that roam the forest. He carried water drawn from his well at home to fill a number of buckets he has planted in the ground at several points in Bukit Damai and Sejorong forest area.

He fills the containers three times a week to provide drinking water for the animals during the dry season (October-November), when the animals need water. "It is a calling of my heart, for our fellow living creatures. Moreover, a man is the kalifah on earth. It means that we live not only for ourselves, but also for all living things. We will not be poor from doing [good] for living creatures," he said.

This understanding made him leave his hometown of Wawo village, Bima regency, in 1997. He used to pursue a nomadic way of life, moving from one village to another village in the Bima and Dompu regencies. He offered the villagers of his transient homes to conserve their fields with local plants that could return water to the ground.

The last stopover with his family was Maluk Loka hamlet, where he had initially planned to live for only two years. Concerned that the environmental damage would grow even worse, he ended up staying there for 20 years.

However, he still plies the Bima-Dompu route to invite the local people to regreen the barren hills. His invitation was often rejected, because regreening would disrupt the people’s corn production, one of the major crops in West Nusa Tenggara.

Idris remains committed to saving the springs. He takes on several tasks in his conservation efforts, such as creating home gardens for the local villagers houses and producing compost. The results of his labor of love enabled him to buy a 300-square-meter plot of land for his house and to finance the university education of his three children.

How long will Idris will continue to revive the springs for human and animal lives? "Inshallah [God willing], until Allah takes my life," he replied.

(USH/DIM)

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Idris Sahidu

Born: Jan. 1, 1954, Bima

Wife: Hamisa, 60

Children: Gufran, Agus Parman, Khairunnisa, Miftahul Jannah

Activities: Head of the Mt. Pemanto Self-reliant Intercropping Farmers Group, WestSumbawa