Changing Water Quality in the Middle Mahakam Lakes: Water Quality Trends in a Context of Rapid Deforestation, Mining and Palm Oil Plantation Development in Indonesia’s Middle Mahakam Wetlands

Abstract

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.

Perceptions of Change: Adopting the Concept of Livelihood Styles for a More Inclusive Approach to ‘Building with Nature’

“…First, the lake water near both villages seemed to be particularly affected. The lake water around Ohong showed extremely low values of dissolved oxygen, which could prove lethal for fish, while we found low alkalinity levels in Enggelam, triggered by an increased acidic input, possibly as a consequence of deforestation, mining activities, or the drainage of peatlands [5]. Second, there were notable differences in people's perspectives on the changes in the environment.…”

“…In Enggelam, the picture was far more varied: while about half of the population thought that the quality of the water had deteriorated, 38% had not noticed any change and a little over 10% even perceived positive changes in the water quality. Our earlier measurements had found that the lake water at both locations was very acidic, akin to swamp conditions, with very low oxygen levels; see [5]. When asked about the reasons for the changes, many villagers blamed the mining companies and plantation enterprises, although over one-third did not know why these changes had occurred or would refer to Allah as the source and cause of climatic changes.…”

“…To be able to mobilize local human action, it is not sufficient to investigate the facts and figures of the biophysical nature, such as changes in water quality and quantity: we also need a better understanding of the way people perceive these changes. Previous research in the Middle Mahakam Wetlands, located in Indonesian Borneo, for example, has shown discrepancies between people's perceptions and the biophysical changes that have been taking place in recent decades (for more information, see [5]), illustrating that the same objects in the same physical surroundings can mean quite different things to individuals who belong to the same community [6] (p. 36). When people act in relationship with these objects, or have them in mind, their actions respond to the way they have already been appropriated, categorized, or valorized in terms of a particular pre-existing design, which we label as a livelihood style.…”

“…The degradation of Indonesia's wetlands is continuing at a rapid pace, and the Middle Mahakam Wetlands, located in the Indonesian part of Borneo, provide an excellent example of the various ways in which wetland ecosystems are increasingly threatened by a variety of factors including deforestation, forest fires, mining, and pollution [5,8] not only in Indonesia but far beyond. In 2008, the Global Nature Fund (GNF), an international foundation for the protection of the environment and nature, drew attention to the dramatic situation in various wetlands in Indonesia by proclaiming the lakes of the Middle Mahakam Wetlands to be the "Threatened Lakes of the year 2008" [9].…”

Tree-based Water Footprint Assessment on Established Oil Palm Plantation in North Sumatera, Indonesia

“…The palm oil industry is a major water polluter in Southeast Asia because uses large amounts of fertilizers (Muyibi et al, 2008), and discharge POME (Wu et al, 2010) to aquatic ecosystems; a challenge for Indonesian (de Jong et al, 2015;Comte et al, 2015). According to Saswattecha et al (2015) five most activities in palm oil field that contribute negative impact onto environmental are: burning fibers in boilers, use of fertilizers, wastewater treatment and empty-fruit-bunch disposal, gasoline in weed cutters and glyphosate for control of weed.…”