TABANAN ~

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika urged the people in the area to make a commitment and concern for the preservation of lake with concrete movement.

“If there is no movement, then 20 years from now Buyan Lake certainly will turn into mainland because the sedimentation process is very fast,” said Pastika at Clean Lake Movement (Gerdasih) Lestari as the series of World Water Day and the International Forest Day at Lake Buyan, Tabanan, on Friday.

By looking at the condition of the lake in Bali, especially Lake Buyan, he invited people to take steps to preserve such as clean-up movement of the lake, make trash trap and sediment trap, and reforestation.

Additionally, Pastika emphasized the importance of formulating a synergistic action program between the central government, local government and other sectors that have interest to the lake.

The governor also said that the government should raise the awareness of the community, supervise, control of waste that goes into the lake and curb business activities that may threaten the sustainability of the lake.

“In the future, I hope that the lake can be managed into organic tour associated with the philosophy of ‘Sad Kertih’ that is preserve our nature and environmental sustainment one of them is ‘Danu Kertih’ that we must apply together and not only in ritual ceremonies,” he hoped.

Pastika hoped that these activities can be useful and can be implemented continuously to all village in Bali.

Meanwhile, Head of the Environment Agency of Bali Province Gede Suarjana, stated that the Clean Lake Movement (Gerdasih) was themed “Unite the step, Protect Lake Ecosystems, for our generations”.

Lake Buyan was chosen because it has undergone siltation or sedimentation which now has a depth of 79.1 meters, which in 1987 had a depth of 86.7 meters and almost a quarter of the surface is covered by weeds.

Suarjana also reported a series of agenda in the event were the planting of 1,500 trees.

In addition, there was also the release of 30,000 Nila fishes (Tilapia nilotica) and 10,000 in Renon Gerokgak reservoir.

The event was followed by 1,500 people involving the government, the military, police, academics, scouts, state, employers and society.