Mount Sumbing Area Planted 50,680 Seeds For Conservation

PHOTO VIA ANTARA

TEMANGGUNG - The slopes of Mount Sumbing in Temanggung Regency, Central Java, were planted with 50,680 seedlings in an effort to conserve soil and water in a sustainable manner.

Chairman of the Committee for the Declaration of the Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation Movement on Mount Sumbing, Joko Prasetyono, said that tree planting on the slopes of Mount Sumbing was carried out at 44 mapped river sections.

"Tree planting is being carried out in 62 villages and in six sub-districts," he said at the launching of the Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation Movement in Wonotirto Village, Bulu District, Temanggung Regency, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, December 28.

Joko mentioned the seeds planted, namely banyan trees, bamboo, sugar palms, and fruits. The tree is planted upstream and downstream of the river, village land, roadside, and community land.

"On people's lands and critical or unproductive lands, productive trees are planted so that they have high economic value," he said.

Joko said the planting was carried out by 23 volunteer organizations with 492 personnel. For the Sumbing slope area, planting will begin in the fourth week of December 2021 and is targeted to be completed by the end of January 2022.

Meanwhile, the Regent of Temanggung M. Al Khadziq said that this movement was carried out with the awareness that environmental degradation in Temanggung Regency was happening so fast, erosion and degradation of environmental quality continued so that the threat of disaster lurked.

"Threats of these disasters include floods, landslides, and drought because many people's wells have died because the water catchment areas have reduced trees, so to maintain the sustainability of the carrying capacity of nature for the lives of all the people of Temanggung Regency, it is necessary to increase the number of plants on Mount Sumbing, Sindoro, and Prahu," he said.

He conveyed that the conservation movement began by planting conservation trees on mountain slopes, down rivers, in ravines, on barren lands, upstream of rivers, on village land, on inter-village roads, and on community land.

"The Temanggung Regency calls all volunteers to work on planting trees," he said.