Most of W Sumatra`s river basins in critical condition

ANTARA News, 04/09/09 08:48

Padang, W Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Most of the river basins (DAS) in West Sumatra are prone to natural disasters as they are now in a bad condition, Environment observer of the Padang-based Andalas University Prof. Isril Berd, said.

"Of the 30 DAS in West Sumatra, 19 are now in a critical condition (stage I) and nine in stage II. Those in stage I have the potential to generate floods and landslides," he said when asked to comment on the management of DAS in West Sumatra.

He said that all relevant parties should have given attention to the river basin conditions before damage to the areas became worst. Without serious attention from the relevant parties natural disasters such as floods and landslides could not be prevented.

Berd said that the river basin areas in West Sumatra had lost their function as a result of human acts such as dredging of DAS areas for mining purposes and illegal logging.

He said that all these happened because regional governments always looked for loopholes on regulations, regardless of the fact that DAS was a unity of ecosystem between rivers as well as their streams and the environment to receive, hold and channel water from rain and lakes.

However, the mentality of decision makers who always looked for the loopholes of regulations to exploit natural resource potentials, has caused increasingly critical impacts on DAS areas, Berd said.

Chairman of West Sumatra`s DAS People Empowerment Forum, Dr Yuzirwan Rasyid said meanwhile that if the DAS areas lost their functions it would cause erosion, landslides, sedimentation, floods, loss of water reserves, unstable river water volumes and global warming.

The impact of this all would be environmental pollution, increasing production cost, declining production, worsening climate change and poverty, he said.

Therefore, all interested parties need to be responsible in exploiting natural resources which means that those gaining the biggest benefits should also spend the biggest funds to conserve the environment.  (*)

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