TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Environment and Forestry Ministry said that Rawapening Lake in Ambarawa, Central Java, has been included in the list of 15 restoration priorities.
“Rawapening lake has issues with water hyacinth and sedimentation,” Hilman Nugroho, director general for watershed and forest protection at the Environment and Forestry Ministry said in Ambarawa yesterday.
Hilman revealed that a research conducted by one of local herbal product makers, Sido Muncul, has found that water hyacinth can be turned into alternative fuel.
Currently, 70 percent of the 2,700-hectare lake, well-known for its “Baruklinthing” legend, is covered by water hyacinth. However, Hilman reminded that the plant is a part of the lake’s ecosystem.
“Leave 20 percent [of the water hyacinth], don’t exterminate them. If the plant, which is a part of the ecosystem, is gone, it will disrupt the whole ecosystem,” he said.
In terms of the sedimentation issue, Hilman suggested that the problem can be resolved by fixing the upstream and downstream areas. Among the solutions are planting trees instead of vegetable plants that could worsen the sedimentation issue.
ANTARA
