SENTANI - Head of Papua River Area Hall (BWS), Nimbrot Rumaropen ST. MT invites the community, more specifically residents who live in the Lake Sentani area of Jayapura Regency, to start caring and maintaining and preserving existing water sources, for the survival of future generations.

One form of concern is by greening or planting trees to maintain the preservation of lake water.

 "Because Lake Sentani will be used as the only source of water in the future. Therefore, let's keep it green, especially in the green belt area of the lake," Nimbrot explained on the 30th anniversary of World Water Day 2022.

World Water Day in Papua is commemorated by planting trees as a form of environmental preservation and water resource conservation efforts.

This activity is centered in the green belt area of Howe Village (on Alternatif street Netal-Yabasou) Sentani, Jayapura Regency, Papua, Wednesday (30/3/2022).

Tree planting is carried out simultaneously and virtually by all the Ministry of Public Works & Housing in Indonesia. The grand event was held at Randugunting Dam, Japah District, Blora Regency, Central Java.

In total, the trees planted as many as 500 seedlings of Teak, Jackfruit and Matoa trees. In addition, there are also 40 bamboo tree plants, 20 mahogany trees and 50 seeds of longan plants. World Water Day activities this year raised the theme of ‘Mantab’, which stands for Preserving Groundwater to be Sustainable.

Nimbrot added, will cooperate with the association of retired public works agencies in Papua, river care groups and communities in the Lake Sentani area to maintain sustainability and water quality.

 It will also carry out sediment control work in the Jayapura Regency area, more specifically in the four rivers in the Sentani area.

"The work is like normalization and flood control. The whole series is how we control all the sediment that enters (into the lake), the point is we prevent the water source from being maintained. So there will be physical and non-physical handling," said Nimbrot.

Ministry of Public Works & Housing, M.Basuki Hadimuljono in his remarks read by Assistant II of Jayapura Regency, Joko Sunaryo said that globally there are 80% of the population living in rural areas still using water from unfit sources.

In addition, no less than 68.5 million people are displaced due to natural disasters, wars and socio-political conflicts and experience water access constraints.

Similarly, community groups such as women, people with disabilities, workers, children, 5 students, indigenous peoples and others are still experiencing the water needs crisis. So we need to maintain the availability of groundwater for the future.

 World Water Day, added the Minister, is a momentum to invite millennials to play an active role in maintaining groundwater. The involvement of students and students is a real step in the caderization of pioneers of water resource management in the future.

"I hope that in the future it will not stop just by planting trees, because nature needs us to do more than that. Tree planting activities should be followed by the steps of caring for, growing and maintaining them. So let's start with the action of growing trees from now," concluded the Minister. ***