The State Ministry for the Environment has named Lake Batur in Bali as one of 10 lakes in Indonesia to be given management precedence, due to its particularly fast rate of deterioration, caused mainly by human encroachment.

The announcement was disclosed at a meeting that discussed how to salvage lakes in Bali, Nusa Tenggara and Sulawesi, held at the Regional Environment Office in Denpasar on Friday.

The nine other endangered lakes are: Toba, Maninjau and Singkarak in Sumatera; Tempe, Tondano, Poso and Matano in Sulawesi; Limboto in Gorontalo and Rawa Pening in Central Java.

"The threats against lake ecosystems in Indonesia are very complex as they face everything from rampant illegal logging and reckless land conversion to water pollution and sedimentation problems," Antung Deddy Radiansyah, deputy assistant at the river and lake control unit of the environmental ministry, said.

He said that Indonesia's 521 lake ecosystems are being destroyed by pollution, the excessive use of water resources, the high dependence on inorganic fertilizer in agriculture, excessive fishing, the impact of tourism and the use of water for power generation.

Destruction of the Batur Lake in Bangli regency is caused, among other things, by water pollution from the dumping of household waste directly into the lake. Illegal logging and the encroachment of residential areas adds to the problems, he added.

"Batur is one of four lakes, including Buyan, Tamblingan and Beratan, which function as water catchment areas. Bali's water resources depend on them, but due to erosion and sedimentation, water resources are in danger," Gede Putu Wardana, head of the Bali Environment Agency, said.

In line with the state ministry's masterplan on lake management, repair works at Lake Batur are expected to be completed by the year 2018.

Wardana said that, in order to limit the impact of tourist facilities, there will be special zoned areas where accommodation can be built.

To prevent erosion and sedimentation, unproductive lands must be regreened and embankments must be constructed at the sides of the lakes, he added.

He further added that one of the most popular tourist sites around Lake Batur, Panelokan region, where tourists flock to catch beautiful views of both the lake and mountains of Batur, is also threatened by environmental destruction. Due to uncontrolled residential development the view has become partly hindered.

Between 1997 and 2007 significant changes on land utilization policies in Kintamani district (where Lake Batur is located) were made. The changes have eaten up 973 hectares of community forests -- 12 percent of the total area. The land conversion has been dominated by residential sites and tourist infrastructure.

According the environment analysis, strategic measures urgently needed for the lake's regeneration include official certification that the lake is being managed by the environmental ministry. "As the certification is not available, the issue is not clear to authorities at the regental and provincial levels," Antung said.

Other realignment activities include, among other things, the strict marking of a border around the lake, where buildings are not permitted, the establishment of a lake institution, the planning of developments in line with existing green belt areas and ecotourism initiatives.

In addition, sediment dredging, which will be used for raw materials in the production of bricks and organic fertilizer, as well as the empowerment and awareness of local residents living around the lake is needed. -- JP/Luh De Suriyani

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