Blessings of Dancing Fish from Irrigation Channels
A number of very bad irrigation channels in the villages of Yogyakarta city have recently been refurbished. The environment has brought economic and tourism blessings.
A number of very bad irrigation channels in the villages of Yogyakarta city have recently been refurbished. The environment has brought economic and tourism blessings. The joy of the residents appears in line with the dancing fish.
Cahyo Firmansyah, 28, took a stroll while accompanying his child on the edge of the irrigation channel at Bendung Lepen, Kapung Mrican, Yogyakarta, Wednesday (25/11/2020). Every now and then he sprinkled the feed, which was immediately greeted by hundreds of orange fish swimming swiftly.
"Finally, I am able to bring my child here. This is my third time here. Two previous occasions, I was with my friends in a bicycling group," said Firman, a resident of Pakualaman, Yogyakarta.
Also read: Harvesting Fruits and Flowers of Togetherness in Surabaya
Firman was pleased with the presence of inexpensive tourist destinations, such as Bendung Lepen, which is located in Kampung Giwangan, Umbulharjo district. He only pays a parking fee every time he visits. There he can introduce his son to various kinds of freshwater fish.
Actually, Bendung Lepen is not a tourist destination but rather an irrigation channel that crosses Kampung Mrican to irrigate rice fields in Bantul regency. The water flows from the Gajahwong River.
Two years ago, the irrigation channel was very shabby. The silt was 50 centimeters thick.
Household trash piled up there. The stench was pungent every day. "The smell was the most pungent during the rainy season. Now it doesn\'t smell anymore since the drain has been cleaned,” said Suradianto, 32, a resident of Kampung Mrican.
Suradianto was one of the "provocateurs" who from the beginning encouraged residents to clean up the irrigation flow. Concerns arose from small talks with fellow Karang Taruna (youth organization) members whom he led then.
"We saw that the irrigation channel was getting dirtier every day. It had become increasingly full of waste. The youths suggested that the mud be cleaned," he said.
The youths of Kampung Mrican then began cleaning up the irrigation channel in January 2019. Gradually they got the support of other residents. Initially, the length of the irrigation channel that was cleaned was only 50 meters. It took three months to clear the channel of mud and garbage.
Now, the 80-meter long irrigation channel has been cleared. The length of the irrigation channel that crosses Kampung Mrican is about 1 kilometer. Hopefully, in the future all segments of the irrigation channel can be clean.
Also read: Get to Know Banjarmasin via Tour Bus
After it was clean, there was a suggestion that fish should be cultivated to beautify the waterways. The residents raised money to buy baby fish. In March 2019, more than 1 quintal of baby tilapia fish was cultivated. In the first harvest, the residents got 6 quintals of fish.
"The harvest continues to increase. A part of the results of the harvest was used to buy baby fish. Now each harvest can reach up to 2 tons of fish. The harvest is done every four months,” said Suradianto.
Some of them uploaded photos of the irrigation channel to social media until they went viral and invited residents from other kampungs
The residents began to spend more time on the edge of the irrigation channel after it was cleaned and filled with fish. Some of them uploaded photos of the irrigation channel to social media until they went viral and invited residents from other kampungs. Bendung Lepen has become a local tourist destination. Visitors consist of families up to bicyclists.
"Initially there was no intention of making this place a tourist destination. The many people visiting here is a bonus. From the start, our intention was only to clean up the environment,” said Suradianto.
Food selling activities have sprung up around Bendung Lepen. There are at least 20 food vendors from local and outside the kampung.
Purwanti, 45, one of the food vendors, is grateful for the blessing from Bendung Lepen. Usually, she sold at school compound. However, since the Covid-19 pandemic, she has stopped selling at school because face-to-face learning has been eliminated. "If it\'s busy, I can get Rp 50,000 (a day)," said Purwanti.
Inspiration from Japan irrigation channel
About 6 kilometers to the west of Bendung Lepen, a section of the irrigation channel has also become another tourist destination in Kampung Dukuh, Gedongkiwo subdistrict, Mantrijeron District. This was initiated by a group of residents of RT 069 neighborhood unit of RW 014 neighborhood community, who initially felt disturbed by the dirtiness of the irrigation channel in their surroundings. They formed the Mina Julantoro Asri group to turn the unkempt irrigation channel into a fish farming area.
"There was silting in this irrigation channel. The smell was also very annoying. Residents had the habit of throwing garbage into this channel. We wanted to clean it and make it a fish farming place so that the residents felt reluctant to litter after it was cleaned,” said Mina Julantoro Asri treasurer, Sinta Dewi, 32.
The channel began to be cleaned and filled with baby fish in 2018. A total of 15,000 baby fish were obtained from the Yogyakarta Agriculture and Food Agency. Until now, five harvests have been carried out. In one harvest the residents can get up to 1 ton of fish.
Sinta got the inspiration to cultivate fish in the irrigation channel from Youtube. She happened to see a gutter in a village in Japan which was clean and beautiful with lots of fish. This idea was applied in the irrigation channel in her kampung.
From the start, the residents wanted to make the place to be an alternative tourist destination.
The Mina Julantoro Asri group does not only fill the irrigation canal with harvestable tilapia, but also koi fish to further beautify the irrigation channel. From the start, the residents wanted to make the place to be an alternative tourist destination. The fences and walls in the surroundings were painted colorfully.
Deputy Mayor of Yogyakarta Heroe Poerwadi appreciated the growing community initiative to develop tourism potential through the attractive environmental management. The municipal government seeks to support it through the "Gowes Kampung" program, which invites residents to cycle through the kampungs with tourist attractions.
The story of the two kampungs gives inspiration that endeavors in environmental management can bring blessings. The kampungs are organized, the quality of life improves, tourism activities are also appearing.