This item may be for Indonesia. But can it be for your place too? Bamboo for Indonesias Future By Basuki Rahmad A landslide in Banjarnegara, Central Java, recently gave all of us a shock. Almost every TV station had comprehensive reports on the disaster and updated the conditions daily. Grief still lingers after disaster occurs. The island of Sangihe, North Sulawesi also faced landslides and flooding struck some areas of Bandung. Due to the series of disasters, hundreds of thousands of inhabitants were forced to evacuate. In response to weather conditions, the National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) released a warning to stay vigilant through January. In his statement, the head of information data and public relations for BNPB said that January is the peak season for disasters in Indonesia, especially hydrometeorology disasters such as landslides, floods, twisters and drought. These particular disasters are highly related to rainfall patterns which peak in January. It is true that climate change plays an important role in the occurrence of hydrometeorology disasters. However, the humans who cause environmental degradation are also to blame. How should we deal with this situation? Can our ancestor’s wisdom and culture answer the challenges of flooding and landslides? Paying to use natural resources, such as water, has emerged as a strategy to prevent degradation. However, it tends to only result in discussions with unclear implementation. Ideally, some of the funds would be used to conserve the source. Carbon payment schemes are another example of responses stuck in the planning stage, this time by political worries. The problems continue to worsen as solutions falter. Modern humanity must look back to it’s heritage. Ancient knowledge and local wisdom, perhaps, provides the key to minimizing, or at least downsizing, the impact of disasters. Bamboo has long been part of Indonesian’s culture, yet continues to be underrated. It is indisputably beneficial to maintaining water quality. The root system forms kilometers of network, anchoring the plants to the land, absorbing water without draining rivers or lakes and retaining soil thus preventing erosion and landslides. But the solution is not merely planting bamboo upstream. Downstream communities should also utilize the plants. An economic network should be established in rhythm with the breeze of bamboo melody. The upstream community could be empowered to craft bamboo and the downstream community becomes the consumer. The economic network would become an incentive for bamboo planting, to make it necessary, not compulsory. This is not a too good to be true dream, nor an overnight night success. Hardships and commitment are the main ingredients to make it happen. To draw an illustration on up and downstream concept of bamboo, let’s take a look at Jakarta. Working closely with the community, one of KEHATI’s programs is bamboo planting activities in various headwaters and upstream areas across Indonesia. Bamboo planting is not merely conservation, the ideal is to connect upstream communities (usually villagers) with their downstream kinfolk (city dwellers). At present in Jakarta, the connection is not positive, especially in monsoon season. Jakarta is said to suffer the flood that is sent by Puncak and Bogor (the upstream region). The government and the community are in step when Katulampa dam shows critical indication of water level. Puncak and Bogor is not serious in planning their spatial use in an orderly manner. There is no incentive to develop, especially from Jakarta who accuse them for the flood. The “haves” of Jakarta build villas in upstream areas, in the hills of Puncak. The surrounding communities and authorities are then supported through employment, investment, tourism and so on. The catchment area will be well maintained if the villagers plant bamboo. Water supply will be reserved and floods from the surface water will be avoided. In drought times, a clean water crisis would not be an issue. Village development would be an advantageous side effect. The vision is to build a network based on nature’s potential, moved by the kinship passion of villagers and city dwellers. Started with a little awareness and guided with the policy of powerful government the vision will be realized. Using food containers made from bamboo daily, such as bamboo plates, is a good beginning for city dwellers. Food tenants and restaurants in malls are encouraged to use bamboo as the utensils. Food kiosks can replace Styrofoam with bamboo-based containers. Support from the Jakarta government through policy and instruction to vendors to banish the use of Styrofoam will promote bamboo based food containers. When the link is complete, tons of bamboo products would flood Jakarta. The products, produced by the villagers would be lubricants to foster village development. If it could increase their welfare, the villagers would willingly plant bamboo. A sponsored bamboo planting movement would be unnecessary. Abundant supplies of bamboo would be material for handcraft and weaving by women, while the male would plant to maintain the supply. The connectedness of villagers and their townsfolk would create stronger networks in insensitivity payments for natural resources and services, bonded by mutual dependency. The payment would become more real without the complicated mechanism as found in the carbon market. At the end of the day, the decision is in our hands. We Indonesians have been long dazzled by modernity and turned away from our heritage of abundant nature. Bamboo is one of God’s gifts for Indonesia. Would we be grateful for the gift, creating a loving and caring environment for villagers and townfolks, together so we could use nature in sustainable manner. KEHATI is passionate in infusing nationalism in to the environmental movement. The movement is real, not a mere campaign or jargon. As long as we have the same vision for change, nothing is impossible. Read on at thejakartaglobe.beritasatu/business/bamboo-for-indonesias-future/
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 05:40:38 +0000
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