The degradation of Indonesia's wetlands is continuing at a rapid pace. People living in the Middle Mahakam Lakes (MML) region, part of a major wetland area in Indonesia, have observed various negative changes in their local environment, especially with regard to water quality. We verify these local perceptions with the support of water quality measurements (physical and chemical) taken in 1992-93, 1995, 1998 and 2006. We also aim to present data that can be used to determine future trends. We evaluated the water quality of the MML by comparing the 2006 measurements with data reported for similar water systems in Kalimantan and with water quality standards in the USA, and set by the World Bank, Australia, Malaysia and South Africa. Measurements show that the water quality of the MML improved considerably between 1998 and 2006 but there seems to be a delicate balance between the pH value and the levels of oxygen, nutrients and hydrogen sulphide. The low alkalinity values indicate that the system is prone to pH changes, which could be triggered by an increased input of acids, as a consequence of deforestation, mining activities or the drainage of peat lands, effects already occurring in one of the lakes.
Around the recent turn of the century, violent clashes between Madurese and other ethnic groups took place in the provinces of West and Central Kalimantan. At least 1200 Madurese were killed, with several hundred thousands internally displaced. However, in the provinces of South and East Kalimantan, which also have Madurese minorities, such eruptions of violence did not occur. To reach a better understanding of the background, conditions and causes of such ethnic violence, we have compared the relationships between the Madurese and other population groups in conflict-ridden West Kalimantan and conflictfree East Kalimantan. The comparison shows that there are significant dissimilarities between the two regions with regard to the ethnic composition of the population, cultural attitudes, access to natural resources and political competition. Together with the negative characteristics attributed to the Madurese by other groups, these can largely explain why this minority, during the recent regime change, became the target of the frustrations and aspirations of others in the western part of Kalimantan but not in the eastern part.
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