Stop Dumping Garbage Into Karang Mumus River

JAKARTA, Aug 8 (Antara) - The people living along the banks of Karang Mumus River in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, should be encouraged to have an awareness of the need to preserve the environment and to stop dumping garbage into the river. Karang Mumus River plays an important role in the ecosystem and the livelihood of communities, but they ignore it and continue to pollute this large natural stream of water with garbage. So far, the local people considered Karang Mumus River as a garbage dump, so they simply throw the waste there without thinking about the consequences of their bad actions. The habits of people throwing garbage into the river have been transmitted from generation to generation since their ancestors, so they consider the action has become a culture to date. Never did they think that the waste they throw into the river will reach the sea and destroy marine ecosystems such as fish, mangroves, coral reefs, sea floor, and various other marine plants. Hence, the Community Friends of Samarinda continues to save the Karang Mumus River from waste pollution, and has often cleaned up the river as a form of protest against the people who have no shame with their habit of dumping the garbage into the river. "Our effort to clean up the waste from Karang Mumus is to remind the local people that this river is not a garbage dump site," Radiansyah, a member of the Community Friends of Samarinda, remarked. He admitted that the Community Friends of Samarinda has for several times assisted the local NGOs in Garbage Retrieval Movement from Karang Mumus as a form of ownership and responsibility for the cleanliness of the river. This river has been heavily polluted and damaged by coal mining activities, and made it increasingly shallow and almost lost its function as a source of water for humans and ecosystems. Karang Mumus River is surrounded by the mining industry as there are at least 76 mining business licenses operating in the city of Samarinda, 25 of which are located in the watershed area of Karang Mumus River. Therefore, everyone in Samarinda should be made aware of the importance of maintaining the Karang Mumus River and be willing to protect it. In February 2016, a group of people in Samarinda, calling themselves "Bondo Nekad Community (Bonek), took part in an effort to clean up the Karang Mumus river of garbage to raise public awareness of the importance of environmental cleanliness. Aiming to keep the Karang Mumus river clean is a matter of pride to ensure that the local residents and visitors can enjoy a clean environment and good sanitation facilities. "Every day, we see a lot of people picking up trash along the river, and we are also mobilized to help clean it up to make it more attractive," Bonek Executive Borneo Chairman Eddie Santosa remarked in Samarinda at the time. He stated that there were three groups of people -- the Entrepreneurial Group of Samarinda, Clean Culture Lovers' Group, and the Bonek -- who on a daily basis cleaned up the Karang Mumus river of garbage that was causing pollution. Santosa affirmed that the members of Bonek comprised immigrants and the native people of Samarinda who are committed to helping protect the environment in East Kalimantan. "We adhere to the principle of 'Where the Land is Stepped, There the Sky is Upheld', and therefore, we are also responsible for the cleanliness of the environment here," he noted. In the meantime, Bahtiar, coordinator of the Karang Mumus River Clean Movement, acknowledged that the actions taken by the Bonek Community were quite effective in cleaning up the river. "Our movement is not just restricted to picking up trash and cleaning up this river, but our main goal is to educate the people to not throw garbage into the river," Bahtiar affirmed. He emphasized that cleanliness along the river should be the fundamental responsibility of every individual in Samarinda as collective responsibility actually means that no single person is held accountable. The residents of Samarinda are aware of the importance of cleanliness and also realize that it is everyone's responsibility, though in reality, they have little time to ponder over these matters. "We are currently cleaning up the Karang Mumus river and maintaining it, so that it is not contaminated by plastic waste," Bahtiar stated, adding that the cleanliness of the river must be maintained to make visitors feel comfortable. Dividing the city of Samarinda into two parts, Karang Mumus river is the tributary of Mahakam river, the largest in East Kalimantan with a catchment area of approximately 77,100 square kilometers. The river originates in Cemaru from where it flows south-eastwards, meeting the River Kedang Pahu at the city of Muara Pahu. From there, the river flows eastward through the Mahakam lakes region, which is a flat tropical lowland area surrounded by peat land. Thirty shallow lakes are situated in this area, which are connected to the Mahakam through small channels. Downstream of the connection with the Semayang and Melintang lakes, the Mahakam meets three other main tributaries - Belayan, Kedang Kepala, and Kedang Rantau - and flows south-eastwards through the Mahakam delta dis-tributaries, to the Makassar Strait. The Fascinating Mahakam river is an intriguing history of Sultan Kingdoms and traditional Dayak Tribes, with a wealth of ecological and cultural treasures that survive deep within the rain forest jungle of Indonesia`s largest island. The river is the highway into Kalimantan`s dense jungle where the visitors can discover the rich Dayak Culture and their Longhouses.