Longing for the River to be Crystal Clear Again

KOMPAS/IRMA TAMBUNAN

Lubuk Beringin Hamlet in Bungo Regency, Jambi, manages the upstream Batang Bungo as a tourist destination for clean river and endemic fish reservoirs. Fish were seen playing among tourists who were submerged in the middle of the river on Sunday (7/7/2020).

Many are longing for rivers with crystal-clear water. People are willing to go through hurdles to reach remote Lubuk Beringin village at the upstream of Batang Bungo River in Bungo regency, Jambi, to see a crystal-clear river surrounded by a pristine forest.

Since 11 a.m., cars were seen going from Muara Bungo, the capital of Bungo regency, to the Lubuk Beringin nature tourism spot at the upstream of Batang Bungo River. The 60-kilometer distance does not deter visitors to reach the secluded spot.

“What is important is I can bathe in the river. The water is clear and it has many fish,” said Dandy, a visitor from Muara Bungo, on Sunday (5/7/2020). He visited with his extended family. There were 12 of them, all of whom looked happy and relieved.

Once in a while, Dandy playfully tried to catch the fish that passed through his legs. They have managed to escape his clutches so far. After swimming around for a while, Dandy asked his cousin to climb up the hill. Other visitors walked through the protected forest after crossing the river with a raft.

Once Jambi entered the new normal phase, Lubuk Beringin was reopened. Since then, visitors have flocked to the tourism area again. In the past two weeks, more than 1,000 people came to the area.

Visitors can enjoy avocado, durian, lanzones and other local seasonal fruits. Locally produced rice can also be purchased as a souvenir.

Entrace ticket sales, managed by the Lubuk Beringin village forest management group, have brought in more than Rp 4 million (US$277.76). This does not yet include sales of local agriculture and forestry product. Visitors can enjoy avocado, durian, lanzones and other local seasonal fruits. Locally produced rice can also be purchased as a souvenir.

The clear river tourism is the fruit of local indigenous people’s labor. Assad, the secretary of the Lubuk Beringin village forest management group, said that the people of Lubuk Beringin persisted for generations against illegal mining. Every time outsiders try to enter and illegally mine in the area, locals drive them away.

This persistence is boosted by village regulations. Acts that may potentially endanger the river’s ecosystem are prohibited, including mining with heavy machinery, fishing surreptitiously or poisoning the fish. A fine of one goat is the punishment.

“Today, our area has been spared from mining and environmental destruction,” Lubuk Beringin Malay Customary Institution head Bakian said.

Increasingly rare

Immersing yourself in the river’s pristine environment is a valuable a rare experience in Bungo. The region has hundreds of rivers and tributaries, most of which have been damaged by illegal gold mining.

KOMPAS/IRMA TAMBUNAN

Massive illegal gold mining takes place in Bungo District, Jambi. It takes seriousness of law enforcement officials to stop activities that damage the environment. Mine in Batang Bungo, Sunday (7/7/2020).

Locals realized the region’s huge potential of gold. In line with the island’s nickname of swarnadwipa or gold island, gold panning has always been popular in the region. British orientalist William Marsden in his observation in the 18th century brought the gold back with him. He measured the gold’s quality at the Tower of London to be 23 carats, as he wrote in the book The History of Sumatra (1811). It is this gold that attracted the Dutch government to establish a trading post in central Sumatra.

Gold panning is done while soaking in the river. Muddy sand is contained in a round-shaped receptacle that looks like a conical hat that is then rotated with a centrifugal movement. This will automatically separate gold from quartz sand. The sand will be pushed outwards while the gold stays on the inside part.

The panning technique is an environmentally-friendly way to mine for gold. However, investors arrive with heavy machinery, endangering the river’s cliffs.

As a result, rivers became murky, as is evident from the foothills of Bukit Barisan mountain range to downtown Bungo. Mercury is also used to purify the gold. This poisoned the fish all along the river, from the upstream to the downstream.

In the past five years, no rivers are clear. A 2019 lab test by the Bungo environmental agency laboratory showed that the river’s turbidity level was above the threshold in all primary rivers in Bungo. This was seen in Batang Bungo, Batang Tebo, Batang Jujuho, Batang Senamat and Pelepat. Samples taken from 15 locations, turbidity level is above the threshold of 25 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU). A number of samples even show turbidity of above 100 NTU.

Bungo environmental agency head Yuddi said that rampant gold mining damaged the river’s ecosystem and all aspects of locals’ life.

An earlier study showed that mercury content in fish in Batang Bungo is above threshold, meaning that the fish are unfit for consumption. Four fish samples in rivers in Tanjung Agung and Sungai Pinang villages in February 2011 showed mercury content of 0.03-0.9 ppm. IN the previous year, mercury content is fish samples was 0.2-0.7 ppm.

Consuming fish with mercury over a long period of time will result in adverse health effects, including visual impairment and damage on the muscles, nerves and lungs.

Mercury content in fish and processed products, in line with a Health Ministry’s food and drugs monitoring director general’s decision letter in 1989, is 0.5 ppm at max. Consuming fish with mercury over a long period of time will result in adverse health effects, including visual impairment and damage on the muscles, nerves and lungs.

“Studies show that local rivers are heavily polluted,” said researcher Budiyono of the Bung Hatta University in his thesis titled “An Analysis of the Effects of Gold and Sand Mining on Water Quality and Fish Diversity in Batang Bungo River”.

Mass illegal mining has hit the fishery sector. In the past decade, cage culture businesses in local rivers have shuttered. Other than floating cages, many natural reservoirs where fishing is prohibited, locally

known as lubuk larangan, can no longer function properly. Bungo Green Awareness Forum chair Hasan Ibrahim said that half of Bungo’s 150 lubuk larangan, where endemic fish grow, had been damaged.

The condition has pushed Bungo regent Mashuri to strike an agreement with multiple parties to stop illegal gold mining. He reminded the need for integrated law enforcement.

If illegal mining is completely ceased, local economy must be supported once more. There is huge potential in economic sources, such as nature tourism and fishery product cultivation. The prohibited reservoirs have blossomed again and locals are given free fish seedlings. “This is an incentive for locals’ awareness,” he said.

Eradication of illegal mining requires strong commitment from law enforcers. Locals are awaiting this seriousness as they long for clear rivers.