Freeport Rehabilitation Of Watersheds In The District Of Kemtuk Jayapura

Photo: Doc. Antara

PT Freeport Indonesia rehabilitates watersheds in Kemtuk District, Jayapura Regency, Papua, in order to restore and maintain forest areas as a life support system in improving the economy of the local community.

VP Environmental PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) Gesang Setiyadi said the rehabilitation of watersheds (DAS) in Jayapura Regency will start from 2021 to 2025 which will reach 4,232 hectares of land.

"Where it covers several locations, namely in the Districts of East Sentani, Kemtuk, Waiba, West Sentani, Depapre, Enbungfauw, Kemtuk Gresi, South Gresi, Abepura and Heram," he said, quoted from Antara, Thursday, November 24.

According to Setiyadi, PTFI collaborated with the Mamberamo Watershed and Protected Forests (BPDASHL), Papua, to carry out these rehabilitation activities.

The implementation of watershed rehabilitation activities starts from planting to maintaining and harvesting, which refers to the Regulation of the Minister of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia Number P. 59 of 2019.

"In addition, the purpose of this activity is to improve the community's economy for the long term from the plants resulting from watershed rehabilitation which can be used as an economic source," said Setiyadi.

He explained that he hopes that the watershed rehabilitation plant that has been planted can be used as a new economic source because 25 percent of the plants to be planted are fruit plants that have economic value," he said.

He added that the PTFI watershed rehabilitation area carried out by launching (planting) in Kemtuk District covering an area of 594.56 hectares covering from four blocks and 19 plots spread across Mamda, Mamei, Nanbom and Kwansu villages and there were also watersheds in Grime.

"Previously, PTFI had carried out planting activities in 2021 on an area of 7.5 hectares in East Sentani District, Jayapura Regency, Papua," he said.

Currently, he said, 19 working groups of the Kemtuk District have been formed with a total number of 291 members, who are local communities.

"The involvement of local communities is needed so that the goals of this watershed rehabilitation can be achieved optimally and can increase the productivity of forest utilization," he said.

To support the success of the watershed rehabilitation program in the four villages, a working group has been formed, including five working groups in Mamda village, two working groups in Mamei village, nine working groups in Nambon village and four working groups in Kwasu village.

In addition, he said, the responsibility of each working group is to carry out planting activities including cleaning planting areas from disruptive plants, planting ajir, digging plant holes, mixing plant media in the form of compost, distribution of plants in each planting hole.

"And planting seeds and maintenance of plants for the next two years from the threat of land fires and disruptive plants," he said.

It was stated that the rehabilitation of the river basin in the Kemtuk District, Jayapura Regency took place on Tuesday, November 22, 2022.