unri.ac.id "The impact of the decline in the carrying capacity of the River Basin Area (DAS) will have an impact on the intensity of floods, landslides, erosion, sedimentation and drought. Furthermore, the impact of the decline in the quality of the DAS also has an impact on the disruption of the economy and the order of community life." This was conveyed by Prof. Dr. Ir. Aras Mulyadi DEA, Rector of the University of Riau (UR) when opening the National Seminar on Integrated Watershed Management," Monday (27/11) at the Premiere Hotel Hall, Pekanbaru.
The event, sponsored by the University of Riau's Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM), discussed the implementation of watershed damage control as an effort to protect and manage ecosystems. "It's evident that watershed damage is currently increasing, and flooding in cities is increasing. We know that there are more engineers and professors on water resources, but the flooding is getting worse. Whose fault is it? It's all our fault. The lack of integration between sectors is the cause. This problem is widespread. In Riau alone, there are four large rivers that require integrated watershed management," explained the Professor at the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences at University of Riau.
"We know that the four rivers in Riau Province used to play a vital role in the region. Various activities, such as trade and other activities, maintained the ecosystem, but now they have deteriorated. Various activities are carried out in these waterways, such as plantations and illegal gold mining, which has been ongoing for a long time and has resulted in ecosystem pollution, which is of great concern," said the Chancellor.
Source: Public Relations of Riau University
"A watershed consists of three components: rivers, riverbanks, and river basins. River basins are handled by many stakeholders, including spatial planning, architecture, and other institutions. Flooding used to occur in lowland rivers, but now it also occurs in upland areas. So, our watershed management issues are indeed very complex. We hope that this national seminar can serve as a platform for collaboration and harmony among watershed management agencies, because only through collaboration and harmony can watershed management issues be resolved," explained the Chancellor.
Furthermore, Aras stated that this meeting could also serve as a forum for exchanging ideas on integrated river management, thus generating various ideas for addressing watershed issues. "This seminar is very important because this discussion is rarely raised. This is proof of our love for the environment, which will improve environmental protection and ecosystem sustainability," Aras said.
The Indonesian Agency for Cooperation of Environmental Study Centers (BKPSL), Dr. Dadang Dewata MSi, conveyed that the empirical conditions of watersheds require that watershed management must be carried out in an integrated manner and pay attention to all ecological linkages and sustainability in their utilization. "As an area utilized for various development sectors, watersheds have a complexity of issues, problems, opportunities and challenges. Currently, the problems, opportunities and challenges of watershed management rely on the management of natural resources in the watershed that exceeds capacity or is not environmentally friendly, thus encouraging conflicts of interest and a lack of integration between sectors and between upstream and downstream regions. Thus, watershed management can no longer be through a sectoral approach, but must prioritize the principle of integration," explained Dadang.
Source: Public Relations of Riau University
"This national seminar can address watershed management issues, including land limitations, poverty, and natural resource sustainability. Furthermore, this seminar can provide a direction for future watershed management policies, ensuring that watershed management is oriented toward improving community welfare with adequate support from science and technology," explained Dadang.
On that occasion, there were four people as keynote speakers , namely Ir Mintarjo MMA (Director of Forest Plant Seeds, Directorate General of PDASHL, Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia), Prof. Dr. Ir. Widradmaka DAA (Bogor Agricultural Institute), Prof. Dr. Wery Darta Taifur (Andalas University), and Prof. Dr. Almasdi Syahza SE MP (UR).
As part of this National Seminar, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between the University of Riau and the Director General of PDASHL, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, on the Development of the Muchtar Lutfi Multipurpose Forest. This was followed by the signing of a plaque commemorating the development of the Muchtar Lutfi Multipurpose Forest at the University of Riau. (wendi. photo: rizki) ***