Thousands of hectares of snake fruit plantations in Yogyakarta may turn arid after six irrigation dams were damaged by lahar following recent volcanic eruptions on Mount Merapi.
The six dams provide water to the snake fruit plantations in Tempel and Turi district in Sleman regency.
“If the dams cannot be repaired soon, the snake fruit plants will not be able to grow,” Subardiyanto, the head of the Association of Water Consuming Farmers at Wonokerto village, Sleman, said.
He said farmers could not irrigate using rain water as the trees needed large amounts of water.
Subardiyanto added that thousands of hectares of snake fruit plantations — 679 hectares in Wonokerto alone — would be affected by the water scarcity.
“In Turi and Temple districts the snake fruit harvest is the major source of income,” he said.
The threat of drought has put more pressure on snake fruit growers in Sleman regency. Mt. Merapi’s eruptions last year devastated nearly 14,000 hectares of snake fruit plantations, causing farmers to lose Rp 200 billion (US$22 million).
Sunaryo, a snake fruit farmer in Manggong, Turi, said that apart from destroying harvests, the eruptions also destroyed young saplings. Farmers looking to replant can have to wait two years for new growth,
he said.
“The harvests this year will fall substantially and also next year as we have to wait for the trees to recover,” he added.
The Sleman administration said snake fruit production in 2009 reached 61.16 tons, but added that this would fall sharply as most plantations in the areas had been affected by the volcanic activity.
One of the officers in charge of monitoring the use of water from the Krasak River, Suhardi, said his office had submitted proposals to the Sleman Water, Energy and Mineral Resources Agency to repair three of the six dams.
“The Sleman administration promised to fund Rp 1.6 billion to repair the three dams,” he said,
adding that the money would come out of the administration’s 2011 budget.
However, the Sleman administration also faces the more pressing priority of reconstructing houses devastated by the eruptions.
Suhardi raised doubts about the administration’s ability to provide the funds needed to repair the dams.
The problem is also compounded by the still present threat of lahar. If the dams are repaired, they could be hit by fresh lahar, he added.
