TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - High levels of pollution caused by chemical waste and trash make it difficult to repair the damaged corals in the Jakarta Bay and Thousand Islands waters. Only one percent of the coral reefs are in good condition.
The pollution in Jakarta Bay and Thousand Islands has caused murky waters and obstructed the sunlight needed to nurture the reefs. There is a possibility that coral reefs in other coastal areas in Indonesia are facing similar problems because of human activities that led to massive pollution.
Suharsono, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) coral reef researcher, said that the case in the Jakarta Bay would be found in almost all other provincial capitals. "The positions of provincial capital cities provinces are mostly near the ocean, but the coral protection system is not working, so destruction continues," he said, during a discussion about coral reefs last week.
Suharsono said coral reefs damaged by natural disasters such as storms, earthquake and tsunami would recover on their own. The ability of coral reefs in Indonesia to recover is exceptional. 'In 7 to 8 years, it will improve because we have the biodiversity and ocean currents that can support new coral growth," he said.
On the other hand, coral reefs damaged by human activities have difficulties returning to normal. "Look at the Thousand Islands waters, it's mostly polluted by waste from Jakarta," he said.
Giyanto, a researcher from the LIPI Oceanography Research Center, said that the water around Jakarta Bay was too murky. According to Giyanto, in 1995, only 1 percent of coral reefs were still alive. "It's the same today, there has been no improvement," Giyanto said.
GABRIEL WAHYU TITIYOGA