Walhi Asks Countries To Be Responsible For The Water Crisis In Gili Meno And Trawangan NTB

Director of Walhi NTB Amri Nuryudin (right) together with the Kupang BKKPN Coordinator for the Gili Tramena Martanina Waters Working Area (left second) in a public discussion in Mataram, Thursday (31/10/2024). (ANTARA/Dhimas B.P.)

JAKARTA - The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Environmental Center (Walhi) stated that the state must be responsible for the problem of the water crisis that occurred in the Gili Meno and Trawangan tourist areas.

Director of Walhi NTB Amri Nuryudin said the government must also be responsible for the damage to the marine ecosystem due to drilling for the installation of a sea water distillation pipe belonging to PT Tiara Cipta Nirwana (TCN) in Gili Trawangan.

"What is certain is that the country here must be responsible for what happened in Gili Trawangan and also in Gili Meno, both the problem of the water crisis and the impact of the expansion of the marine ecosystem damage in Gili Trawangan," Amri said after holding a public discussion about the eradication of the Gili Meno and Trawangan water crises in Mataram, Thursday, October 31, was confiscated by Antara.

Amri conveyed that the results of the meeting in the public discussion were Walhi NTB together with all elements of society who live in Gili Meno and Trawangan urged the government to immediately find a solution to the fulfillment of the basic rights of the community.

"We believe that the government has solutions, both in the short and long term in clean water which is the basis of the community. We will continue to make various efforts, including advocacy for the community so that this clean water needs can be met immediately," he said.

According to him, the offer of a short-term solution that emerged in the public discussion was in the form of connecting the clean water pipe from Gili Air to Gili Meno and Trawangan, which could be taken into consideration by the government to alleviate the issue of the clean water crisis.

"In the public discussion, it was stated that the clean water distribution pipe from Sire Beach to Gili Air could be connected to Gili Meno and Trawangan. From the discussion, it was stated that the solution could be completed within one month. That is what we encourage the government to be more serious in completing the fulfillment of the basic rights of this community," he said.

He also reminded that the problem of damage to marine ecosystems was the impact of drilling the installation of pipes belonging to PT TCN which resulted in mud deposits covering an area of 2,364 square meters with a height of up to 1 meter covering coral reefs in Gili Trawangan waters so that it became the attention of the local government.

He hopes that the administrative sanctions that will later be applied by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) against PT TCN can be a momentum for local governments to review the existence of PT TCN in the Gili Trawangan area and the plan to build facilities in Gili Meno.

"We emphasize that Walhi NTB will oversee the rehabilitation process for the marine ecosystem area to completion, including encouraging the North Lombok Regency Government to review the operational issues of PT TCN," he said.

BKKPN Kupang Coordinator for the Gili Trawangan, Meno, and Air Working Area (Teramina) Martanina also stated that his party supports efforts to eradicate the water crisis and improve the damage to the marine ecosystem.

From the various solutions that emerged in the public discussion, he emphasized that the Kupang BKKPN supports this by implementing environmentally friendly methods.

"Whatever the method will be, we will continue to support it while it is environmentally friendly," said Martanina.