Aku Mau Pulang "Tragedi Lumpur Lapindo"

Aku Mau Pulang "Tragedi Lumpur Lapindo"

Aku Mau Pulang "Tragedi Lumpur Lapindo"
Video sent by gekkostudio

Tragedi lumpur Lapindo adalah bencana ekologis terbesar yang pernah terjadi di Indonesia. Sejak bencana itu terjadi pada 29 Mei 2006 hingga hari ini tidak ada upaya nyata untuk menghentikan semburan lumpur ini. Warga korban luapan lumpur panas yang mengungsi di Pasar Baru Porong mencapai 14.768 jiwa. Meskipun sebagian kecil dari mereka telah mendapat bantuan kompensasi dari pihak Lapindo, warga terlanjur kehilangan mata pencaharian, tempat bernaung, segenap harta benda serta hidup dan kebersamaan yang telah terbangung.
Telah banyak warga yang mengalami gangguan fisik, sebanyak 49.639 jiwa menjalani rawat jalan, 1.130 orang menjalani rawat inap tersebar di berbagai pos kesehatan dan rumah sakit. Penderita gangguan jiwa telah puluhan orang diakibatkan tinggal di lokasi pengungsian. Anak-anak terganggu dalam aktivitas belajar mengajar, 33 gedung sekolah negeri dan swasta, mulai tingkat TK hingga SMA telah terendam lumpur.
Kerugian akibat Lumpur mencapai Rp 33 Triliun, serta tidak terhitung angka kerugian akibat bencana lingkungan dan sosial yang terjadi. Dan angka-angka akan terus bertambah sepanjang lumpur tetap mengalir ….… entah sampai kapan, hanya ada satu yang pasti …warga Porong yang desanya telah terendam lumpur, tidak akan pernah pulang kembali kerumahnya....

Untuk lebih jelas tentang peristiwa ini silahkan lihat di Jatam (www.jatam.org), Walhi (www.walhi.or.id), dan Gekko Studio (www.gekkovoices.com).

Aku Mau Pulang "Tragedi Lumpur Lapindo"
Video sent by gekkostudio

Tragedi lumpur Lapindo adalah bencana ekologis terbesar yang pernah terjadi di Indonesia. Sejak bencana itu terjadi pada 29 Mei 2006 hingga hari ini tidak ada upaya nyata untuk menghentikan semburan lumpur ini. Warga korban luapan lumpur panas yang mengungsi di Pasar Baru Porong mencapai 14.768 jiwa. Meskipun sebagian kecil dari mereka telah mendapat bantuan kompensasi dari pihak Lapindo, warga terlanjur kehilangan mata pencaharian, tempat bernaung, segenap harta benda serta hidup dan kebersamaan yang telah terbangung.
Telah banyak warga yang mengalami gangguan fisik, sebanyak 49.639 jiwa menjalani rawat jalan, 1.130 orang menjalani rawat inap tersebar di berbagai pos kesehatan dan rumah sakit. Penderita gangguan jiwa telah puluhan orang diakibatkan tinggal di lokasi pengungsian. Anak-anak terganggu dalam aktivitas belajar mengajar, 33 gedung sekolah negeri dan swasta, mulai tingkat TK hingga SMA telah terendam lumpur.
Kerugian akibat Lumpur mencapai Rp 33 Triliun, serta tidak terhitung angka kerugian akibat bencana lingkungan dan sosial yang terjadi. Dan angka-angka akan terus bertambah sepanjang lumpur tetap mengalir ….… entah sampai kapan, hanya ada satu yang pasti …warga Porong yang desanya telah terendam lumpur, tidak akan pernah pulang kembali kerumahnya....

Untuk lebih jelas tentang peristiwa ini silahkan lihat di Jatam (www.jatam.org), Walhi (www.walhi.or.id), dan Gekko Studio (www.gekkovoices.com).

Selengkapnya ...

Countdown to Nil - Mud Disaster at Porong Sidoarjo Indonesia

Countdown to Nil - Mud Disaster at Porong Sidoarjo Indonesia

Countdown to Nil - Mud Disaster at Porong Sidoarjo Indonesia
Video sent by gekkostudio

Mud Lapindo tragedy is the biggest ecological disaster has ever happened in Indonesia. Since the first time the mud is blasted on 28 May 2006, till today there are no real efforts to discontinue the blast. The number of people must be evacuated to Pasar Baru Porong reached up to 14.768 peoples. Though some of them have got compensation from Lapindo, their lives have come too far unintentionally and they have lost most of their lives, including their jobs, shelters, properties and materials, and togetherness.

Lots of evacuee experiencing physical problems. 49.639 of them are outpatients while 1.130 people must be taken care in several health centers or hospitals. Monomaniacs also found as the result of distress while living in the evacuation. 33 school buildings including public and private schools are covered by mud and affected to children’s learning activity.

The loss of this tragedy reached up to Rp 33 trillion, while the number of environment and social loss effects is innumerable. The number is increasing as the mud kept running – until when? Who knows? One thing for sure, Porong’s community whom their houses are covered by mud, will never return to their homes.

See more on www.jatam.org, www.walhi.or.id, and www.gekkovoices.com.

Countdown to Nil - Mud Disaster at Porong Sidoarjo Indonesia
Video sent by gekkostudio

Mud Lapindo tragedy is the biggest ecological disaster has ever happened in Indonesia. Since the first time the mud is blasted on 28 May 2006, till today there are no real efforts to discontinue the blast. The number of people must be evacuated to Pasar Baru Porong reached up to 14.768 peoples. Though some of them have got compensation from Lapindo, their lives have come too far unintentionally and they have lost most of their lives, including their jobs, shelters, properties and materials, and togetherness.

Lots of evacuee experiencing physical problems. 49.639 of them are outpatients while 1.130 people must be taken care in several health centers or hospitals. Monomaniacs also found as the result of distress while living in the evacuation. 33 school buildings including public and private schools are covered by mud and affected to children’s learning activity.

The loss of this tragedy reached up to Rp 33 trillion, while the number of environment and social loss effects is innumerable. The number is increasing as the mud kept running – until when? Who knows? One thing for sure, Porong’s community whom their houses are covered by mud, will never return to their homes.

See more on www.jatam.org, www.walhi.or.id, and www.gekkovoices.com.

Selengkapnya ...

Voices From The Forest in India

Voices From The Forest in India

Voices From The Forest in India
Video sent by gekkostudio

All across India, non-timber forest produce (NTFP), spell a critical source of income for indigeneus people and forest-dwelling communities, who are among the poorest of the poor. Not only do the NTFPs play a crucial role in the livelihood of these people, but from a key incentive to conserving the forest of India. Moreover NTFPs are woven in with the social and cultural fabric of the communities living in India.

Communities are working hand in hand with grassroot non-government groups, traders, and government to address the challenges posed by low productivity, lack of tecnology, irrational NTFP law, and wide-scale contract based extraction. Over the years of hard work, inroads are being made. Community-based conservation, management, value addition, and marketing of NTFPs are being successfuly practiced. Honey, mahua, resin, amla, sal leaf, and the thousands of other NTFP species will continue to flourish and play its role in the lives of communities today and in the future.

© Gekko Studio/Dusty Foot Production - India/NTFP Exchange Programme 2007

Voices From The Forest in India
Video sent by gekkostudio

All across India, non-timber forest produce (NTFP), spell a critical source of income for indigeneus people and forest-dwelling communities, who are among the poorest of the poor. Not only do the NTFPs play a crucial role in the livelihood of these people, but from a key incentive to conserving the forest of India. Moreover NTFPs are woven in with the social and cultural fabric of the communities living in India.

Communities are working hand in hand with grassroot non-government groups, traders, and government to address the challenges posed by low productivity, lack of tecnology, irrational NTFP law, and wide-scale contract based extraction. Over the years of hard work, inroads are being made. Community-based conservation, management, value addition, and marketing of NTFPs are being successfuly practiced. Honey, mahua, resin, amla, sal leaf, and the thousands of other NTFP species will continue to flourish and play its role in the lives of communities today and in the future.

© Gekko Studio/Dusty Foot Production - India/NTFP Exchange Programme 2007

Selengkapnya ...

5x5 Bukit Lawang

5x5 Bukit Lawang

5x5 Bukit Lawang
Video sent by gekkostudio

The film is based in Bukit Lawang, where devastating floods caused over 239 deaths in 2003. The flooding was attributed to illegal logging in the surrounding Gunung Leuser National Park. Since the floods, this village community has been involved in voluntary forest governance enforcement schemes in an attempt to curb illegal logging in the National Park. The community has also started to recognise the important role of ecotourism in the preservation of their surrounding forests.

Eco-Tourism replaces Illegal Logging:
The story of Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia

It had rained heavilly for two days. Few of the locals along the Bahorok river in northern Sumatra showed much concern. The river communities of Indonesia have grown familiar with flooding during the rainy season. This time things would be tragically different. On the night of 2nd November 2003 a massive flash flood swept through and devastated settlements along the banks of the Bahorok. The epi-centre of the tragedy focussed on one small village, the tourist resort of Bukit Lawang.

Sometimes the issues surrounding climate change, deforestation and illegal logging can seem so inordinately vast: the human side - the personal story - can often be forgotten. Occasionally these global problems of deforestation
impact themselves in one tiny area: and suddenly, in a microcosm, all the devastation and horror has a very real human face. The village of Bukit Lawang inadvertently found itself thrust into such a position.

Bukit Lawang had originally been a small village on the edge of an oil-palm plantation, but since the founding of the Gunung Leuser national park and the establishment of the world famous orangutan rehabilitation centre a mile upstream, the village had prospered and thrived through tourism. In the space of a few hours that tragic night Bukit Lawang in effect completely dissapeared: 400 houses, 3 mosques, 8 bridges, 280 kiosks and food stalls, 35 inns and guest houses: all had gone. 239 villagers, as well as five tourists, were dead. 1,400 locals found themselves displaced.

When the worst of the flood water had abated and the desperate search for survivors finally called off, the villagers found a curious sight surrounding them. Thousands of massive logs mixed with rocks and mud stood in ugly heaps along the valley, the riverbank and the site of the village. Some of these piles stood more than two stories high. It suggested the tragedy was not natural but caused by logging in the national park. It was discovered, although stringently denied by the authorities, that loggers had felled several thousand trees in the upper reaches of the mountains and had been storing them in an artificial dam, before sending them downriver. After the heavy rainfall, landslides from deforested parts of the park tumbled into the swollen river: the Bahorok, beyond its holding capacity abruptly burst its banks. The flood water roared downstream carrying with it its deadly cargo of chainsawed logs and timber, which acting like battering-rams, smashed and flattened everything in their path.

The clean-up operation cleared away the accumulation of debris, aid organisations and local authorities constructed new bridges, reinforced the banks of the Bahork and built a new housing complex on the higher ground. Slowly things are adjusting back to an air of normality, thanks largely to the strength and spirit of the community. Village members share whatever aid they recieve and work together without question. But despite the rich, often cheerful spirit of the survivors – a deep sadness remains hidden just below the surface. It’s the fourth year since the flood and Rahmad Nasution will be thinking about his life before the tragedy: his daily routines, his family that he will never see again, the others who were lost in this remarkably close community. Rahmad’s memories are unequivocally painful

“...I tried to save the older people, but I was trapped in the middle of the river, it was very dark and I still heard the crying for help. I had no chance to save my family, my sweetest people, my child, my supersede, I was not strong during that time...the day after, I found my sister, my wife’s-parents, then my wife, that is the unforgettable moment, it will be my wound...I thank God he gave me my life, I pray to him for the people who died...”

Since the disaster, something unique has occured in the vicinity of the Bahork river which could well send a message to other areas within Indonesia. The strength in community has led to a motivation among many villagers to finally put an end to illegal logging in their forests. Through the aid and suprevision of YLL, an NGO based in nearby Medan, the communities themselves are forming initiatives and organisations to help stop the practice of illegal logging in the national park. In the nearby village of Penampean local people have joined a volunteer ranger unit which patrols the forest.

“...the history of ranger in Penampean started after Bukit Lawang flood, triggered by YLL we established a ranger organisation to protect the forest. Many of my friends had been involved in illegal logging activities but now they think again: our forest is nearly broken, people have had a negative impact, so our ex-logger friends have joined with the rangers to curb illegal logging in Gunung Leuser national park. Our purpose now is to establish eco-tourism in the vilage...”

Bukit Lawang has slowly rebuilt itself since the flood. Along the riverside where women of the village launder, whilst their children play and totter in the slow swirling shallows, there are once again small restaurants and food stalls and guest houses. The few remaining hotels are also opening and recieving tourists. The orangutan rehabilitation centre has been repaired and already visitors queue at the river crossing to see the great red-haired ape of the Sumatran rainforest. Bukit Lawang is open once more.

“...regarding eco-tourism actvities we started to organise meetings to make the community aware of the importance of eco-tourism, such as forming groups of (forest) guides...the impact of the Bahorok flood has not been good on the tourist industry, if we compare today with the past, less tourists have come than before, so our strategy is to promote the benefits of eco-tourism ...this is being implemented in daily life...eco-tourism will protect the daily life of the community as well as the national park...” said Didi Charamsar, executive director YLL.

5x5 Bukit Lawang
Video sent by gekkostudio

The film is based in Bukit Lawang, where devastating floods caused over 239 deaths in 2003. The flooding was attributed to illegal logging in the surrounding Gunung Leuser National Park. Since the floods, this village community has been involved in voluntary forest governance enforcement schemes in an attempt to curb illegal logging in the National Park. The community has also started to recognise the important role of ecotourism in the preservation of their surrounding forests.

Eco-Tourism replaces Illegal Logging:
The story of Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia

It had rained heavilly for two days. Few of the locals along the Bahorok river in northern Sumatra showed much concern. The river communities of Indonesia have grown familiar with flooding during the rainy season. This time things would be tragically different. On the night of 2nd November 2003 a massive flash flood swept through and devastated settlements along the banks of the Bahorok. The epi-centre of the tragedy focussed on one small village, the tourist resort of Bukit Lawang.

Sometimes the issues surrounding climate change, deforestation and illegal logging can seem so inordinately vast: the human side - the personal story - can often be forgotten. Occasionally these global problems of deforestation
impact themselves in one tiny area: and suddenly, in a microcosm, all the devastation and horror has a very real human face. The village of Bukit Lawang inadvertently found itself thrust into such a position.

Bukit Lawang had originally been a small village on the edge of an oil-palm plantation, but since the founding of the Gunung Leuser national park and the establishment of the world famous orangutan rehabilitation centre a mile upstream, the village had prospered and thrived through tourism. In the space of a few hours that tragic night Bukit Lawang in effect completely dissapeared: 400 houses, 3 mosques, 8 bridges, 280 kiosks and food stalls, 35 inns and guest houses: all had gone. 239 villagers, as well as five tourists, were dead. 1,400 locals found themselves displaced.

When the worst of the flood water had abated and the desperate search for survivors finally called off, the villagers found a curious sight surrounding them. Thousands of massive logs mixed with rocks and mud stood in ugly heaps along the valley, the riverbank and the site of the village. Some of these piles stood more than two stories high. It suggested the tragedy was not natural but caused by logging in the national park. It was discovered, although stringently denied by the authorities, that loggers had felled several thousand trees in the upper reaches of the mountains and had been storing them in an artificial dam, before sending them downriver. After the heavy rainfall, landslides from deforested parts of the park tumbled into the swollen river: the Bahorok, beyond its holding capacity abruptly burst its banks. The flood water roared downstream carrying with it its deadly cargo of chainsawed logs and timber, which acting like battering-rams, smashed and flattened everything in their path.

The clean-up operation cleared away the accumulation of debris, aid organisations and local authorities constructed new bridges, reinforced the banks of the Bahork and built a new housing complex on the higher ground. Slowly things are adjusting back to an air of normality, thanks largely to the strength and spirit of the community. Village members share whatever aid they recieve and work together without question. But despite the rich, often cheerful spirit of the survivors – a deep sadness remains hidden just below the surface. It’s the fourth year since the flood and Rahmad Nasution will be thinking about his life before the tragedy: his daily routines, his family that he will never see again, the others who were lost in this remarkably close community. Rahmad’s memories are unequivocally painful

“...I tried to save the older people, but I was trapped in the middle of the river, it was very dark and I still heard the crying for help. I had no chance to save my family, my sweetest people, my child, my supersede, I was not strong during that time...the day after, I found my sister, my wife’s-parents, then my wife, that is the unforgettable moment, it will be my wound...I thank God he gave me my life, I pray to him for the people who died...”

Since the disaster, something unique has occured in the vicinity of the Bahork river which could well send a message to other areas within Indonesia. The strength in community has led to a motivation among many villagers to finally put an end to illegal logging in their forests. Through the aid and suprevision of YLL, an NGO based in nearby Medan, the communities themselves are forming initiatives and organisations to help stop the practice of illegal logging in the national park. In the nearby village of Penampean local people have joined a volunteer ranger unit which patrols the forest.

“...the history of ranger in Penampean started after Bukit Lawang flood, triggered by YLL we established a ranger organisation to protect the forest. Many of my friends had been involved in illegal logging activities but now they think again: our forest is nearly broken, people have had a negative impact, so our ex-logger friends have joined with the rangers to curb illegal logging in Gunung Leuser national park. Our purpose now is to establish eco-tourism in the vilage...”

Bukit Lawang has slowly rebuilt itself since the flood. Along the riverside where women of the village launder, whilst their children play and totter in the slow swirling shallows, there are once again small restaurants and food stalls and guest houses. The few remaining hotels are also opening and recieving tourists. The orangutan rehabilitation centre has been repaired and already visitors queue at the river crossing to see the great red-haired ape of the Sumatran rainforest. Bukit Lawang is open once more.

“...regarding eco-tourism actvities we started to organise meetings to make the community aware of the importance of eco-tourism, such as forming groups of (forest) guides...the impact of the Bahorok flood has not been good on the tourist industry, if we compare today with the past, less tourists have come than before, so our strategy is to promote the benefits of eco-tourism ...this is being implemented in daily life...eco-tourism will protect the daily life of the community as well as the national park...” said Didi Charamsar, executive director YLL.

Selengkapnya ...