Restoring the Image of “Venice of the East”

The Sekanak River restoration in Palembang, apart from restoring the function of the river, is also a way to improve the behavior of residents. After the river is clean and tidy, residents take care of the river.

KOMPAS/RHAMA PURNA JATI

Residents walk in the Sekanak-Lambidaro River Park in Palembang, South Sumatra, Wednesday (1/6/2022). This arrangement is a program of the Sekanak-Lambidaro River Restoration which has been started since 2021.

Celebrating its 1,339^th anniversary on 17 June, Palembang, Sumatra, has been trying to recover the allure of the Musi River, with its tributaries’ restoration being the first step in bringing back the image of the city known as “Venice of the East”.

Fera (36), a resident of the 26 Ilir flat, was seen preparing an iced drink for her guest at a river park, 23 Ilir subdistrict, Ilir Barat I district, Palembang, South Sumatra, on Monday (30/5/2022). The park spans along the Sekanak and Lambidaro tributaries. The street vendor of iced drinks and gulali (cotton candy) by the Lambidaro River has become busier lately since the riverside park was inaugurated in February. The park is now a new tourist destination in the city.

Many residents spend time with their families to savor the beauty of the city from the riverside park. It is equipped with playgrounds, community-gathering houses, gazebos, running tracks, prayer rooms and other supporting facilities such as toilets. "Every afternoon and weekend, this place is crowded with residents," Fera said.

The vicinity used to be a neglected slum area with the Lambidaro River turning into a trash dump for local residents. Approaching the river, one would smell quite a foul stench.

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However, reckless garbage disposal has now been significantly decreasing since the river was restored. "They feel deterred from throwing garbage there because the river has become neat and clean," Fera said.

The well-maintained river has also brought abundance for Fera. Her sale turnover has increased from Rp 100,000 (US$6.93) to Rp 300,000 per day.

The same thing happened to Sumaida (56), a resident of 26 Ilir subdistrict, Ilir Barat I district, along the Sekanak River watershed. At her house’s terrace, she sells city specialties such as fishcake, popularly known as pempek.

The mother of six said the river restoration had made her living environment cleaner and more well-organized. The access road to the park in front of her house, which used to be only 1 meter wide, has now been widened to 4 m and paved with ceramics and sandstone.

A number of benches have been set up. The increasing number of visitors, many of whom relish taking pictures, has benefited Sumaida, with some never failing to drop by to taste the typical city food she sells.

“In the past, it was quite difficult to get Rp 150,000 per day. Now, my sale turnover can reach Rp 300,000 per day,” she said, adding that sales might increase during the weekends because more visitors would come around.

KOMPAS/RHAMA PURNA JATI

The condition of the Sekanak River in Palembang, South Sumatra, Wednesday (1/6/2022). This tributary of the Musi River has been arranged since 2021 so that it no longer looks shabby.

As with other places, her neighborhood had been a slum area before the government-initiated river restoration project began in 2021. People's awareness about and care for the need to maintain the river’s cleanliness has been growing in line with the restoration program. “When someone throws garbage carelessly, we definitely reprimand them," Sumaida said.

The river restoration has also restored the hope of local people, with the river looking like it used to before Lampung-native Sumaida first came to Palembang 30 years ago. The condition of the Sekanak River at that time had still been quite good, she said.

“In the past, many residents washed their clothes and dishes in the river because the water was still clean. Later, [the water] could no longer be used," she said.

The river water pollution started to get out of control in 1990. As more and more people settled in the city, the river water became cloudy with people carelessly throwing garbage into it.

Slowly but surely, the river restoration program has had an impact on people's awareness about river cleanliness. People have developed more appreciation toward the river.

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The 800 m long restored area, which encompasses the Sekanak and Lambidaro rivers, spans from the Karang Jerambah in 26 Ilir subdistrict through 26 Ilir Market, which is part of the Sekanak River, to the Palembang Indah Mall (PIM) Bridge on Brigjen Dani Efendi Street in 22 Ilir subdistrict, which is part of the Lambidaro River.

With the project costing around Rp 42 billion, the restored areas include a number of congested centers such as 26 Ilir Market and residence apartments.

Ansori, a city assistant in economy and development, said the restoration of the Sekanak-Lambidaro rivers had first been proposed by Mayor Harnojoyo to the Public Works and Housing Ministry in 2018. The project commenced, by bringing back the function of tributaries, in 2021.

KOMPAS/RHAMA PURNA JATI

The border of the Sekanak River in Palembang, South Sumatra, which has been arranged so that it looks cleaner and tidy than before, Wednesday (1/6/2022).

Palembang is known as a water-surrounded lowland. The name Palembang, according to historian Djohan Hanafiah, was taken from the word lembang or lembeng, which in ancient Malay means “land that is submerged in water”. In Malay, Palembang means “water seepage”.

One of the ancient cities of Indonesia, Palembang looks to pursue its river restoration program further. Aware that the restoration of the Sekanak-Lambidaro rivers has had a significant impact, it is planning to carry on with the program, from the PIM Bridge to the South Sumatra DPRD intersection -- 1.7 kilometers. The second phase of the project is estimated to cost Rp 77.5 billion and is targeted for completion by the end of 2022.

Ansori acknowledge it was not an easy matter to run a river restoration program, with challenging obstacles ranging from the existence of utilities to social issues. The residents have been called to support the program. "There are 130 illegal buildings to be demolished because they are on the riverbank at the restoration area," Ansori said.

The illegal buildings stand on the vacant land on the riverbank. The residents have used the unmanaged land for various purposes, such as for dwelling and earning a living.

The utility networks in the restoration route, such as gas pipelines, electricity, telecommunications and clean water lines, will have to be moved. That is why the restoration project involves many related institutions.

Disaster mitigation

Marlina Sylvia, who heads the water resources division of the city’s Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency, said the river restoration was also an effort to mitigate the risk of hydro-meteorological disasters such as floods. With the river getting deeper and wider, the water capacity is expected to be improved, reducing the risk of flooding.

Like a disease, it needs medical treatment to cure. River restoration needs community participation and commitment so that it can function optimally again.

The restoration of the Sekanak River has improved the Sekanak sub-watershed area (DAS), which was once in critical condition. Marlina said two of the 21 sub-watersheds in Palembang were still in dire condition, namely Bendung and Buah rivers. She said more rivers would be restored in the future.

“Like a disease, it needs medical treatment to cure. River restoration needs community participation and commitment so that it can function optimally again," she said.

This article was translated by Musthofid