15 lakes across #Indonesia in critical condition

Indonesia - Lake Toba, in North Sumatra 

Fifteen lakes in Indonesia are in critical condition, according to a government official.

National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) head Bambang Brodjonegoro said that currently lakes were facing issues concerning water volume and quality, which had decreased significantly as a result of environmental degradation, often caused by human activities such as pollution, logging and illegal fishing. Bambang sees polluting or dumping garbage into lakes as a dangerous habit that can worsen the condition of lakes.

“When [people] see water, whether a river or a lake, they see it as a garbage bin, not as something to protect,” Bambang said during a meeting at the Environment and Forestry Ministry in Jakarta on Tuesday as quoted by tempo.co.

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Among the 15 lakes in critical condition as noted by Bappenas are Lake Rawa Pening in Central Java, Lake Rawa in Banten, Lake Batur in Bali, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Lake Kerinci in Jambi, Lake Maninjau and Lake Singkarak in West Sumatra, Lake Poso in Central Sulawesi, Lake Cascade Mahakam-Semayang, Lake Melintang and Lake Tondano in North Sulawesi, Lake Tempe and Lake Matano in South Sulawesi, Lake Lomboto in Gorontalo, Lake Sentarum in West Kalimantan, Lake Jempang in East Kalimantan and Lake Sentani in Papua.

Source - TheNation

#Indonesia - Surfing contest, cultural festival in celebration of South Nias 14th anniversary

To commemorate the 14^th anniversary of South Nias regency, the provincial administrations plans to hold two interesting events called South Nias Open Surfing Contest 2017 (NSOSC 2017) and South Nias Regency Traditional Song, Culture and Tradition Festival.

The two events will be held for four days from July 25 to 28 at Sorake Island. They are results of a partnership effort between the provincial administrations through South Nias culture, tourism, youth and sports department with South Nias Surfers Association (APNS) and supported by tourism ministry.

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 “We’re going to hold a surfing competition and it’s open for local and international surfers. The main goal is definitely to increase the number of local and overseas tourists to South Nias,” explained South Nias cuture, tourism, youth and sports department head Anggreani.

The surfing contest itself is an annual event and the last time it was held was last year at Ya’ahowu Party.

Other than providing winners with Rp 87 million worth of prizes, NSOSC 2017 aims to scout new talents in Nias that can be trained to compete in National and International leagues in the future.

“NSOSC 2017 is divided into three categories: Men’s (16 years and above), women’s and grommet (men’s and women’s),” Anggreani added.

As for the festival, it will feature traditional dances and rituals of South Nias 

such as faluaya, famadaya harimao, stone-jumping, moyo dance and fataelesa.

 

Sorake beach is a haven for surfers, it’s included in the 10 best surfing spots in the world and said to be the second best after Hawaii. During the months of June – July surfers flock the beach because the waves are able to reach up to 10 to 12 meters high. Another uniqueness of the beach: one will not find anything but coral reefs in it.

Nias island is reachable by sea using a ferry boat from Sibolga city in North Sumatra with a distance of 85 miles or 12 hours. Travelers will then arrive at Mount Sitoli, the biggest city in Nias Island. Continue the journey from Mount Sitoli to Teluk Dalam city for about four hours using a four-wheeled vehicle. However, for a shorter traveling time, a flight is available from Kualanamu International Airport in Medan, North Sumatra. (asw)

Source - TheJakartaPost

Indonesia - 2017 Lake Toba tourism calendar released

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 The North Sumatra administration has just released its 2017 Lake Toba Tourism Calendar, comprising a schedule of cultural events in the Lake Toba area.

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Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said the calendar was important to attract travelers. “Schedule and location certainty is important [for travelers]. The days and months must not be altered because it is a reference for the travelers,” Arief stated, as quoted by kompas.com on Monday.

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(Read also: Hundreds flock to Lake Madirda to observe Melasti)

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Arief also stressed the shift of traveler behavior, particularly among young travelers. “Do not expect them to come [to the destination] if they couldn’t find a fixed schedule,” he said. The minister also mentioned that travelers may have booked their travel in advance. “Imagine how troubled they would be if the schedule changed.”

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The calendar of events was released to help promote Lake Toba, one of Indonesia’s 10 priority destinations of 2017. Among the activities included in the calendar of events are festivals, carnivals, music shows and sports events.

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North Sumatra Deputy Governor Nurhazijah Marpaung said all tourism stakeholders in the province were ready to make Lake Toba an international destination. She also explained that tourist activities in Lake Toba were expected to account for Rp 16 trillion (US$ 75 million) in regional gross domestic product, and create 300,000 new jobs in North Sumatra.

Below is the list of events scheduled on the calendar.

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